Sing For Me One More Time
by xxHeadInTheStarsxx
Summary: Sometimes it's hard to move on from your first love. For Shane and Mitchie, it's just impossible. Smitchie -Discontinued-
1. A Broken Promise

**A/N: Clap your hands everyone, because I started a new story! This is my first multi-chapter only Smitchie story. Oh also, I have nothing against Camilla/Camille (After a billion times of hearing her name and a thousand other clarifications, I still don't know her first name) Belle. But I still rather have Joe date someone else. *cough Demi cough* I don't want to get reported and get this story deleted for using real people so if her name is Camille, tell me so I can change it! Also, just to let you know, this story has been rewritten four times, looked over over ten times, and took my a little over a month to finally 'perfect' it. I hope you guys like it! BTW, this is just sad in the beginning. It'll get happier!  
**

1. A Broken Promise

"_Shane, Mitchie, over here!" the paparazzi yelled. Mitchie and Shane turned and smiled for the flashing cameras before walking off. Shane wrapped his arm protectively around Mitchie's waist, and Mitchie snuggled into his body, loving his support. "It's America's Sweetest Couple!" the same paparazzi laughed, continuing to take pictures of them as they proceeded to leave. Because that was who they were, and that was what America referred them to. America's Sweetest Couple.  
_

_Shane gave Mitchie a surprise passionate kiss on the lips. The paparazzi flashed their cameras wildly at them, trying to get as many pictures of the two as possible. Shane smirked at the all of the paparazzi. "Be jealous my friends because I have the best girlfriend this world has to offer." He said. Mitchie turned red, and she giggled, feeling giddy and flattered. Shane smiled down at her and led her to his car._

"_You really think that that I'm the best girlfriend ever?" Mitchie asked. Shane looked at her sincerely. He placed a chaste kiss on her lips._

"_Of course I do, Mitchie. I love you."_

Mitchie fidgeted with her guitar, snapping out of her thoughts. She cringed at the memory and began to strum her guitar, trying to let the music take over her mind and drive the unwanted thoughts out. She just couldn't find the right tune, the right melody, the right rhythm that was powerful enough to take _him_ out of her mind. She was doomed with the repetitive happy memories of him.

Mitchie sighed and placed her guitar to the side. She walked over to her piano and pressed on the keys. Maybe she just needed a different kind of sound to take her mind off of him. Yeah, just a different instrument will do the trick. She began to play a made-up melody but frowned to hear that she changed the song into one that she didn't want to hear.

_Shane's head rested on Mitchie's lap as she fed him grapes on a sunny afternoon. They sat in Shane's insanely huge backyard, enjoying the heat they would feel on their skin, and smiling to the chirps of the birds passing by. "You know, we've been dating for a long time, and now that I think of it, we don't really have a song." Mitchie said, feeding him another grape._

"_That's insulting, Mitchie! You're telling your amazingly hot songwriter-slash-rockstar of a boyfriend that he didn't write a song to you?! I've dedicated a whole album to you for God's sake!" Shane said. Mitchie laughed and rubbed his shoulders, easing him down._

"_I know, and that's really sweet of you, but I mean that we don't have a song to call our own. A song that will always remind me of you and the other way around. Not a song that you wrote for me, or a song that I wrote for you. A song that…is perfect enough to explain us." Mitchie said, running her fingers through Shane's perfect jet-black hair. Shane sat straight up and pulled Mitchie into a one-armed hug._

"_Why not that song that we sang at the Final Jam a couple years ago?" he asked. _

"_You mean…_This is Me _and _I Gotta Find You_?" Mitchie asked, surprised. Shane nodded._

"_It's the song that made me go crazy for a whole month and a half, if you forgot." Shane said, raising an eyebrow. "It explains us. You wanted to be known, you wanted to shine, and at the same time, you wanted to let me know who you are. I was looking for you, and with that song I found you." Mitchie smiled and wrapped her arms around Shane's neck._

"_Then that is officially our song." She said softly before placing a sweet kiss on Shane's lips._

"Ugh!" she groaned, slamming her hands on the keys, making a horrible sound. She stomped away from her music room and walked angrily towards her room. Mitchie slammed her door and locked herself in, turning the TV on. She flipped through the channels, trying her best to find something joyful, relieving. She frowned to see what channel she landed on.

"Shane Gray speaks to us about his rumored relationship with famous actress, Camille Bells!" the host from E! news said. Mitchie grimaced, mentally telling herself to change the channel. "So Shane, is it true? Are you dating the gorgeous award-winning actress?" the host asked, looking eager and ready to announce his answer to the world.

Mitchie's angry look softened as she looked at him. She grabbed the closest pillow and began to squeeze the life out of it, wishing that it was Shane's big head instead. The way he looked...he was gorgeous. The way his hair swooshed every time he would say something, the way his eyes sparkled when he was nervous, the way his hands would never stop moving because of his hyper attitude. Mitchie missed it all…

She shook her head, throwing the pillow against the wall. She glared at the TV. She wanted to change the channel – and the remote was right there. But as she reached out for it, she just couldn't grab it. "Well," Shane said, sounding normal but looking annoyed. Mitchie froze, and her eyes flickered back onto the fifty inch plasma screen. A cheering noise came from the audience as they tried to get Shane to spill it out. "Stuff like that is really personal. Camille is a wonderful person. I've never met any girl like her. My love life is none of your business or anyone else's though."

Mitchie scoffed and rolled her eyes. He was still the same. He was still that arrogant jerk who tries his best to act nice in front of the camera – but fails miserably. Mitchie finally gained enough willpower to change the channel. Her mind drifted off from the shows being shown on the screen and returned back to her 'happy old days' land. She scowled, hating every time she took a trip down memory lane. She buried her face on the bed sheets and groaned.

"_Shane Gray speaks to us about his rumored, but more like obvious, relationship with the famous singer, Mitchie Torres!" the same host from E! news announced. Mitchie jumped at the sound of her name. She turned the volume on her TV louder and smiled at the sight of Shane and the host sitting face-to-face with each other. "So Shane, is it true? Are you dating the beautiful pop/rock singer?" she asked. Shane laughed and his eyes sparkled._

"_Well, usually I would keep my relationships a secret, but this one I rather not. Mitchie is, for a fact, my girlfriend." Shane announced. The crowd screamed and cheered excitedly. Shane laughed again, the sparkle in his eyes fading. Instead they stood out twinkling, lighting up the darkness in between them. "And the only reason why I'm saying that is because I want to say that Mitchie Torres is _off_ the market, guys! She's with me!" Shane said. _

_The host laughed. "You sound a bit possessive." She said, nudging Shane playfully. Shane smirked and shrugged._

"_Hey, what could I say? I love Mitchie so much, and I don't mind telling the world how lucky I am to have her." He said, almost sounding shy. A long 'aw' came from the audience. Shane looked straight into the camera. "I love you, Mitchie, and I'm going to marry you someday! That's a promise!" The audience went crazy with cheers. Mitchie blushed and bit her lip as she continued to watch the interview. She just couldn't get the hot red feeling from her cheeks to go away. _

"_Shane Gray, I love you too." She said to the TV._

"Stupid, stupid, stupid!" Mitchie yelled, tempted to throw the remote at the expensive television. She sighed in frustration and turned the TV off. "I need a bath." She muttered, stomping towards her bathroom. She locked the door and turned her bath on, waiting for it to fill up.

She turned her shower radio on before she undressed herself. She wrapped her bathrobe around her as she adjusted the radio station. She rolled her eyes once she heard one specific song. Mitchie wanted to throw the radio into the bubbling bathtub and watch it overcharge with electricity. She calmed herself down and reached out to the dial to change the radio station again. But of course, she couldn't.

"_Mitchie, I have a surprise for you." Shane whispered behind Mitchie. Mitchie smiled widely, feeling excited. Shane covered her eyes and led her towards a place. "Okay, you have to be really cooperative." He whispered as he dragged her towards a specific place. They finally stopped. "Oh, one more thing, Mitchie." Shane said._

"_What?" Mitchie asked._

"_Pretend that you're a screaming fan girl who's at a Connect 3 concert." Shane answered._

"_Huh?"_

_Shane uncovered Mitchie's eyes, and she gasped at the sight. She smiled to see a small stage, Nate with a guitar at his hand and in front of the microphone, and Jason with another guitar in his hands, also in front of the microphone._

_Shane smirked at Mitchie and hopped on stage, grabbing the center microphone in front of him. "And this newly written song is especially dedicated to the lovely lady in the front row." Shane said, winking at her. Mitchie couldn't stop smiling. Her face started to hurt from grinning too much, but she could care less. _

"_There's only one way to say those three words for you…I love you."_

"What kind of station is this? This is the oldest song I've ever heard." Mitchie mumbled, finally turning the dial towards the next station. She took a step back and felt something wet. She widened her eyes and spun around to see that the bathtub was overfilled with water. "Oh crap!" she squealed, running towards it and turning the running water off. Mitchie groaned to see the mess she made. "Stupid Shane Gray's stupid song and his stupid beautiful voice distracting me." Mitchie mumbled as she pulled out the plug so that some of the water would drain.

She felt tears brimming around the edges of her eyes as that song replayed over and over again in her head. Mitchie quickly rubbed her eyes, telling herself over and over not to cry. She took off her bathrobe and put on a fake smile, slipping into the bathtub, trying to forget all of her memories. But how could she forget when they're the only things that she has?

Mitchie sighed and rested her head against the cold edge of the tub, letting the water whoosh around her. She felt her stomach twisting and churning in the most unpleasant way as the worst memory popped into her head. She felt like she wanted to scream as it wouldn't get out of her mind. Mitchie wanted to slap herself, thinking that it was pointless to waste precious thoughts over a man who just ended up hurting her.

"_W-why did you do that?" Mitchie asked, her voice trembling, her eyes tearing, realizing that everything she has ever believed was a complete lie. Shane rubbed his head and didn't answer. He kept his eyes firmly fixed on the ground as Mitchie stared at him, so sad, so heartbroken. "Can't you hear me?! I said, why did you do that to me?!" Mitchie yelled, tears pouring really quickly down her eyes. Shane still didn't say a word. "Fine then, I'm going." Mitchie scoffed, rolling her tear filled eyes. She reached out for the door, but Shane stopped her, wrapping his arms around her waist tightly._

"_I'm sorry! It meant nothing! That was a huge mistake, and it will never happen ever again! I'm so, so, so sorry, baby." Mitchie tried to tug away from Shane's grasp, but he was just too strong for her to even move. Mitchie let out a sob but tried her best to keep it quiet. She continued to attempt to squirm her way out, but she ended up failing. _

"_Let me go!" Mitchie demanded, slapping his hands away. Instead, Shane pulled her even closer against him._

"_Don't leave me." He begged. _

"_You should have thought about that before you decided do sleep with another girl, Shane." Mitchie said darkly. Shane's heart dropped. He let go of Mitchie slowly and she quickly walked out of his arms. Before she turned the doorknob, she took one last look of Shane. "I can't believe that I love you." She said to him before running off. _

Mitchie ended up sobbing inside of the bathtub. She hugged her exposed legs and stared at the clear water ahead of her. Her salty tears mixed in with the sizzling water while her cries echoed throughout her house. She wanted to drown herself for a moment. She wanted to not live, just be a spirit flying through the air. At least if she was a spirit, then she wouldn't feel this heartrending pain. But Mitchie decided against it. She took a deep breath, mentally telling herself to be strong and to not shed another tear for Shane Gray.

She failed miserably and ended up crying again.

* * *

"Oh, shut the hell up, Jason!" Shane yelled furiously, throwing a pillow at his band member as hard as he could. Jason ducked right in time, and Shane ended up knocking over the lamp. Shane rolled his eyes and groaned in frustration. "Great, now I have to pay for that! Just great!" he said sarcastically before stomping into his suite and murmuring curse words under his breath.

"Dude, what happened in here?" Nate asked as he stepped into the room, eyeing at the pieces of broken glass that used to be the lamp. He gave Jason a look. "What did you do?" he asked sternly, folding his arms across his chest. Jason held his hands up in defense, backing away from the scene of the crime.

"I did nothing. It was Shane's fault. He's the one he threw the pillow and knocked over the lamp." Jason quickly said, not wanting to get in trouble with Nate. Nate sighed and rolled his eyes. He left the room again and headed over next door to Shane's suite. He didn't bother knocking since Shane would definitely not let him in if he did. Nate opened the door with the pass key and slipped inside to find Shane staring angrily up at the ceiling as he lay down on the bed.

"So what's up with the anger management issues again? I thought we passed getting physical." Nate said, leaning against the wall near the doorframe as he folded his arms across his chest. Shane grunted and turned to face the wall opposite where Nate was. Nate sighed and scratched the back of his neck. "Listen, if you're mad or annoyed, please don't take it out on Jason. He's done nothing wrong to you, and he's like our brother. I know he's going to feel really guilty on the tour bus tonight, wondering what he did to upset you."

"Nate, just go. I need to be alone." Shane muttered as he gripped onto the bed sheets around tightly. He was not going to let himself feel guilt. Shane learned that escaping emotions did him best. Though to his utter dismay, anger and annoyance always seemed to seep right back into his brain.

"God, Shane, you're making me feel like I'm a dad of the two of you. You're twenty-three years old, and you're being really immature. Honestly, what did Jason do to make you mad this time?" Nate asked, obviously fed up with all of this. He stared dejectedly at Shane, hoping that he wouldn't ignore him this time.

"He started singing." Shane mumbled. Nate rolled his eyes.

"Oh, my God, Jason sang a song! Big whoop! God, Shane–"

"He didn't just sing any song, he sang _the_ song!" Shane yelled, interrupting Nate. Nate closed his mouth and looked down at the carpet, not knowing how to solve this problem anymore. Instead of attempting to make Shane and Jason buddies again, Nate walked out of Shane's suite and back to his and Jason's. He knew that he couldn't do anything about it this time. Nate sighed and sat down next to Jason in front of the beds.

"You really should stop singing _This is Me_ when Shane's around. You know that he's still not over _her_, even if he's dating Camille." Nate said quietly to Jason, somewhat worried that Shane could hear him through the walls. Jason nodded sadly, agreeing that his friend wasn't over his ex, even if three years has passed. Nate rubbed his head and closed his eyes. "She was the only one who could keep his temper down. The only one who could stop him from snapping at someone."

"She's the only one I knew who got Shane to act nice. I don't think that even his parents could make him act that kind. If you think about it, she was the only one who could make him smile. The only one who truly made him…_happy_." Jason said, staring at his shoes. "I miss her." He sighed. "She was the only one who didn't make fun of me because I like birds." Nate smiled.

"She was the only one who understood why I'm so uptight and bossy all the time and didn't judge me – or any of us. We need her. _Shane_ needs her. I don't think I've ever seen him so in love of all the years I've known him." Nate said, his voice growing softer and softer with each word.

"But Shane just had to 'accidentally' cheat on her." Jason said, shaking his head. "I felt so bad for her when I found out. She was crying hysterically and looked like she wasn't going to stop for days. I swear, I think she would have made a lake by the time she stopped crying." Jason said. He and Nate frowned at the memory.

"It may seem like Shane hurt her more; but really, it was Shane who ended up receiving the worst pain at the end." Nate said. Jason looked at him, confused. "Shane loved her with every single atom in his body. He would buy her the Pacific Ocean if that's what she wanted. She changed him for the better and made him so happy in ways that no one else could ever do. She gave Shane love, a love that he's never felt in his life. But then he messed things up and lost her. You and I both know how torn apart Shane was when she left and practically disappeared from the surface of the Earth."

"Please don't remind me. Shane actually _cried_ for God's sake. He didn't cry as much as she did, but still, he actually was tearing up!" Jason said. He sighed. "I wish that they would just get back together. Then Shane wouldn't blow up on every person he would see, and life for all of us would be so much easier. And I could finally have someone to talk about my birdhouses with. Did you know that Camille treated me like I was seven when I told her that I liked birds? At least she doesn't make fun of me." Nate smiled again and shook his head.

"Were you talking about Mitchie?" a voice piped up. Nate and Jason turned their heads and found Shane, standing at the doorway with an emotionless look on his face. Nate and Jason looked at him, alarmed, not knowing what Shane will yell out next. Instead of snapping at them, Shane rolled his eyes and sat on the bed. "Please, it's not like I break down every moment I hear the name 'Mitchie'. I do have a girlfriend." He said pointedly. Shane felt like that last sentence tasted like poison on his tongue. He slightly cringed, hating when he uses the word 'girlfriend' without the name 'Mitchie' in it.

"You almost killed me with a pillow when I sung _This is Me_." Jason said matter-of-factly. Shane frowned and balled his hands into fists.

"That's different." He muttered.

"How much of that did you hear?" Nate asked worriedly.

"Enough." Shane said.

The three were quiet for a moment. Nate and Jason continued to look down, not wanting to see the anger in Shane's eyes if they looked up. Shane just sat there, glaring at them. "So this concert is the end of our tour, right?" Shane asked, breaking the awkward silence around them.

"Yes, it's in Dallas, Texas." Nate clarified, picking up his Blackberry to check out the full schedule. "After that concert, we'll have about a little less than a month to relax and take a vacation. Then we'll go back to California to sing more of the lame songs the record company wants us to sing." Nate said, rolling his eyes at the end.

Shane sighed and tapped his fingers lightly on the bed. "Do you think that I'll run into her while we're there? I mean, that is where she used to live, right?" Shane asked. Nate and Jason looked at each other, so surprised at the strong amount of hope in Shane's voice. Nate cleared his throat and gave Shane a small smile.

"Maybe." He said.

"_Oh, my gosh! I haven't been in Dallas in ages!" Mitchie squealed as she looked around her hometown through the large window in front of her. Shane laughed and wrapped his arms around his girlfriend, pulling her closer next to him. Mitchie giggled and kissed his cheek, making him blush. _

"_I knew you were going to love taking our vacation here. I called your parents, and they said that they'll visit us in the weekend." Shane said, nuzzling his face in Mitchie's hair. "This means that we get this nice hotel all to ourselves until this weekend." He whispered. Mitchie giggled again and pushed him away. _

"_Nuh-uh-uh. Until I get married, we're not doing anything." Mitchie clarified. Shane snorted._

"_I know that. You remind me everyday, baby. What I mean though is that I get to do this." He said, scooping Mitchie up and throwing her up in the air as if she was like a baby. He twirled her around in circles, throwing her up in the air and catching her while she screams, amused. It was like she was flying in the clouds and Shane was her soft pillow to land on._

"_Ah! Shane, put me down!" Mitchie laughed. Shane did so and dropped her on the bed. He then attacked her by tickling her sides. Mitchie laughed so hard that her face began to turn red. "S-Shane! S-stop t-tickling me!" she begged, having a hard time to breathe. Shane laughed and kissed her lips._

"_Make me." He dared, giving her a mischievous smile. _

"_Oh, I will so make you." Mitchie said, pushing Shane away and jumping on his back. Shane laughed and gave her a piggy-back ride around the room. Mitchie giggled and ruffled his hair, knowing that it would get him annoyed if she – or anyone – touched his hair._

"_Hey! Don't touch the Shane Gray hair! It's priceless!" Shane said, shaking his head. Mitchie laughed and kissed his cheek before hopping off of him. Shane turned around to face her. He leaned in to kiss her, but Mitchie moved out of the way around him. She giggled to herself while Shane pouted at her. Mitchie stuck her tongue out at him and walked back over to the window. Shane sighed, knowing that he won't get his way right now. He walked up to her and wrapped his arms around her waist again, standing the position they just were._

"_Hey, look! It's the church that my parents got married in!" Mitchie said excitedly, pointing at the small but beautiful church in the corner of their eyes. Shane smiled and nodded his head. "You know, I always dreamed of getting married there." Mitchie sighed. _

"_Then we will get married in there." Shane said. Mitchie laughed and faced him. She raised an eyebrow and folded her arms across her chest. _

"_Are you saying that you're going to ask me to marry you?" she asked. _

"_I will when we're older but not now. But I promise you that when that time comes, you'll be walking down the same aisle your mom did, and I'll be standing on the same spot where your dad was." Shane said. Mitchie smiled up and him as she blushed immensely. _

"_Promise?" she asked._

"_I promise." Shane whispered. He leaned down and gave her a kiss on the lips._


	2. Regret

**A/N: Thank you so much for you really nice reviews! I'm glad that you guys liked this story. I just had to update for you guys! I hope you like this chapter too :)  
**

2. Regret

After the big split up between Mitchie and Shane, Mitchie decided that it was best if she left Hollywood and moved back to the quiet neighborhoods of her old hometown in Dallas, Texas. She would get her old job back at Barney's Burgers and serve fast food everyday like she did when she was a teenager before that glorious summer at Camp Rock. Everyday she would provide those hungry and disputatious customers with that disgusting thing they called food with no complaint. But the only reason why Mitchie kept that routine going on was because she thought that it was for the best.

Well, she _thought_.

Mitchie may act like she's completely content with her job, her position, her life even; but really, everyday as she scribbled messily on that notepad, trying to remember the table number and the orders, she knows that her life is like a living hell for her. It was like she had no _reason_ anymore. There were no more dreams to pursue. Life wasn't worth living.

Mitchie could remember when she was bigger than life. She could remember when she was on her way up – no, she was already up there at the very top. And no one could possibly pull her down. (As she thought.) Mitchie could easily evoke when she was directly under that luminous spotlight and every single pair of eyes were on her. People around the world screamed her name, _"Mitchie! Mitchie! Mitchie!"_ That was almost as beautiful as the sound of music in Mitchie's ears.

But that was all in the past. Mitchie needed to snap back in to reality because there was no way that her stardom was ever going to repeat in her lifetime again. She was washed up, unremembered, uncared for. No one could probably recall the name, 'Mitchie Torres' anymore.

Because of Shane Gray and that big split up, Mitchie was _nothing_.

Mitchie sighed longingly as she stood behind the counter and waited for a customer to come in. She's been in that position for about three hours, and no one was coming. She glanced at the manager, Victoria, hinting her that no one was going to show up, and they should go home. But Victoria was oblivious and kept on counting the money greedily in the register. Mitchie groaned and laid her head on the counter, close to falling asleep.

_It's Saturday night. No one in their right mind would come here at Saturday night! Why doesn't this stupid place just close for today, so I could go home?!_ Mitchie yelled in her mind, frustrated.

As if the world turned around, the door opened. Mitchie's head shot up, but she instantly placed it back down on the counter once she saw who it was. "Oh, God," she muttered, rolling her eyes. "Tracey, go home." Mitchie ordered her little sister. Tracy frowned and placed her hands on her hips.

"Is that _any_ way to treat a _customer_?" she asked, smirking at her older sister and at the manager at the same time.

"No, but it _is_ a way to treat my irritating little sister." Mitchie shot back. Tracy stuck her tongue out, making Mitchie do the same. "Okay, so what do you want? Shouldn't you be home? Does Mom or Dad know that you're here?" Mitchie asked. Tracy rolled her eyes and snorted.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, they know. Stop acting so overprotective on me." Tracy said, shaking her head in annoyance. "Now, the reason why I'm here is because I need a teensy weensy favor." Tracy squeaked, putting on her best innocent baby sister voice. Mitchie raised an eyebrow at her and eyed her carefully.

"Okay and what is this 'teensy weensy favor'?" Mitchie asked carefully.

"Well…let me just show you." Tracy pulled out two concert tickets from her back pocket. She slowly handed them to her older sister, nervously waiting for her reaction.

Mitchie looked at the tickets, unmoving. She felt like her breath got stuck in her throat and her heart stop beating. Mitchie gulped and dropped the tickets back onto the counter almost out of fear. "Connect 3." She whispered.

"Okay, before you go all ballistic and start yelling at the top of your lungs, listen to me first!" Tracy said as Mitchie was about to open her mouth again. Mitchie sent daggers at Tracy's way, wanting so badly to rip those concert tickets apart. "It's my sixteenth birthday this weekend, if you forgot." Mitchie's anger soothed down. She did forget. Every year she forgot. "And this is _all_ I want for my birthday. Mom and Dad can't take me since they have work, and my friends won't come with me because they rather dig a hole in a mount of crap and die than listen to Connect 3. Leaving only you as my last resort coming with me to this concert."

"Tracy, I'll buy you a TV, a laptop, a cell phone, an iPod, a car, or a freaking house! But I _will not_ go anywhere within a hundred feet with that guy! Let alone, go to one of his concerts! Never, ever, ever, ever! No!" Mitchie said sternly. Tracy pouted and got down on her knees. She clasped her hands together as if she was praying and gave Mitchie the sweetest look she could put on. "No! You're not going to win like that! I'm not going to their concert, Tracy, and that's final!"

"Mitchie, why on earth are you yelling at this girl?" Victoria asked. Mitchie gritted her teeth and stood still, glaring ahead of her. Victoria looked down at Tracy. "And why are you on the floor? Are you going to order anything?" she asked, attempting to sound outgoing and kind. Tracy rolled her eyes and stood up.

"I'm standing now, happy?" she retorted.

"Mitchie, we're closing now." Victoria said indignantly, completely ignoring Tracy. Mitchie nodded and hung her apron. She then grabbed her bag and Tracy's wrist and dragged them both outside to the parking lot. Tracy frowned, knowing that _now_ she was going to receive an earful.

"I just don't understand why you still like them! You do remember what their stupid lead singer did to me years ago, right?!" Mitchie yelled.

"Key word: _years ago_. God, Mitchie, stop being a paranoid whiner! It's not like we're actually going to see them up close and personal! I bought middle seats, _crappy_ middle seats, in the worst rows ever! Gigantic posters will be hung everywhere in sight, making it almost impossible for us to see them, and you will not be seen by Shane freaking Gray!" Mitchie froze at the sound of his name. She closed her eyes and choked back a sob before walking back to her car in a slower pace.

"I'll still have to listen to his stupid voice." She muttered.

"Oh, then bring your iPod or something! Please, I just need you come with me to this one concert, and I'll never ask you for anything else again." Tracy said, calming down. She just couldn't raise her voice at Mitchie while seeing her devastated again. Mitchie didn't reply but just merely shrugged. "If it makes you feel better, the only reason why I want to watch the concert is because of Jason and Nate. I mean, I still love Connect 3. But don't get me wrong, I hate…_him_ just as much as you do."

The two sisters stopped in front of the car. Mitchie stared down at the concrete as she pondered on whether to accompany Tracy to the concert or not. Mitchie sighed and unlocked her car. "Fine, I'll go to that stupid concert with you." She mumbled before getting into the car and slamming it in front of Tracy's face. Mitchie jumped to hear Tracy squealing and jumping up and down excitedly, clapping her hands merrily.

"I'm going to see Connect 3!" she shrieked. Mitchie rolled her eyes and started the ignition. She signaled Tracy to get into the car before she drove off and left her all alone in the streets.

* * *

Shane weakly strummed his guitar, playing a terrible sound. Why would it matter anyway? There was no magic, no inspiration, no love. Shane set his guitar aside and lay down on the hotel bed. He looked out of the window but immediately regretted it once he did. Outside, he could see the same church where he and Mitchie were supposed to be married. A pang hit Shane's chest, and he felt like he was close to tears again. He closed his eyes and frowned, grasping the pillow next to him. He needed to hit something, rip it up to shreds.

Suddenly, the door opened. "Happy Saturday, Shane!" Jason greeted before plopping onto the bed next to his band member. "Today is our last concert of the tour! And this one sold out in four days! I guess Dallas must really love us." Jason chuckled. Shane turned and faced the other side. He placed a pillow on his head, trying to block out all noises coming from Jason. "So what are you going to do during our vacation? I told Nate that I wanted to go to China! Wouldn't that be cool to see the Great Wall?"

"And get pushed off by a bunch of overly obsessed Asian fan girls? Yeah, I don't think so. We might as well just stay in freaking LA." Shane responded sourly. Jason gave Shane a sympathetic look and stood up.

"I'll be going now." He said quietly. Jason slowly walked out of the suite wordlessly.

"Finally." Shane mumbled.

Jason entered Nate's suite. He found him lying on the bed with his Blackberry in his hands, typing quickly. "I think Shane's mad at me again." Jason whined, sitting down next to Nate. Nate scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"That guy's always mad. I thought you would be used to it by now." Nate replied back.

"No, let me rephrase that. I think Shane's sad again." Jason said. Nate stopped texting and gave Jason a confused look. He placed his cell phone on the nightstand and faced Jason.

"What do you mean?"

"Shane is getting killed in the inside, Nate. Think about it. We're in Dallas, where Mitchie lives. It's _obvious _that Shane's not over her. Plus, I think we accidentally booked in the wrong hotel. This is the same hotel name where Mitchie found Shane and that girl…"

"Oh shit." Nate groaned. "Dammit, Shane's gonna play horrible tonight and give everybody an even bitchier attitude."

Then the two heard a glass breaking. Nate and Jason instantly got up and ran to Shane's suite. They found him yelling into a pillow and a shattered lamp on the floor. Shane's brutal yells quickly turned into despondent cries. Soon enough, the pillow was sodden. Jason and Nate kneeled by Shane's side.

"Shane, are you okay?" Jason asked.

"What does it look like?! Of course I'm not okay!" Shane roared. Jason winced, and Nate glared at Shane. He was about to yell at him and defend Jason, but Jason shook his head no, signaling Nate to stop. Nate angrily backed away and folded his arms across his chest.

"It'll be alright. It's only one night and then we can go back to LA." Jason promised, patting Shane's arm. Shane was still discouraged.

"What if she sees me?!" he asked frantically.

"She won't see you, Shane. We're not even sure if she's living in Texas." Jason answered calmly.

"What if I run into her?!"

"You won't run into her.

"What if-"

"Shane, relax. Everything is going to be okay." Jason assured his band member. Shane nodded and wiped his tears away shamefully. Shane hated crying. It ruined his bad boy rockstar image. But he hated feelings more, especially sadness. "If you need us, just get us, okay?" Jason said. Shane nodded but kept his eyes away from the two. He couldn't believe that he cried – especially in front of Jason and Nate.

Jason pulled Nate and dragged him back to their suites, leaving Shane to stare blankly at the wide horizon of openness. Shane felt empty, weak, sad. He just wanted to rip all of that out and throw it out the window. But he couldn't. Doing that is the same thing as ripping Mitchie out of his brain and throwing her out of the window, out of his life. Shane couldn't do that. It was something that simply can't be done.

Shane felt his cell phone ringing. He reluctantly answered it to see Camille's name pop up on his caller ID. "Hey," he muttered, bored.

"_Hi, sweetie! How's Dallas?" _Camille asked. Shane grunted. _"So do you miss me? Because I miss you so much! My bed is so lonely without you." _Shane grimaced. He stared darkly at the broken vase, wishing that it was fixed so he could break it again.

"Yeah, I miss you too." He mumbled.

"_You sound tired. Is my Shaney-waney overworking again? You know how much this rockstar stuff stresses you out. I tell you everyday to relax and take a breather, but you're always so tight and tense."_

"I'm just tired, Camille." Shane replied bitterly. "I just got off the plane and it's really late here. I'm just going to go to bed." Shane lied. It was only evening and his concert was hours away.

"_Oh, well good night! I love you!"_ Camille replied back, ignoring Shane's lies. Shane blinked, hating every time she said those words to him since she expected an 'I love you' back. But Shane couldn't give one back. Those three words were only reserved to one girl and one girl only. Shane took a deep breath.

"Good night, Camille." He said before hanging up.

It's not his fault that he doesn't love her. She just didn't complete him. She wasn't the harmony to his melody, the instruments to his music, the voice to his song, the lyrics to his music. Camille didn't even please Shane at all. But why did he even think about choosing her as his girlfriend? Well, she was the only one there. Camille was there when Shane was going through the rocky patches about the split up. She was his shoulder to cry on, she was his friend to vent to, and in time, she helped him stand on his two feet.

Being her boyfriend was the only thing Shane could do to thank her, for she loved him. No, she was _desperately_ in love with him. Camille did things that she shouldn't have, but all is fair in love and war, right? So when Shane agreed to be her boyfriend, Camille was ecstatic. She didn't care that he didn't love her, she didn't give a damn whether or not Shane was happy with her or not. What mattered to her was that Shane Gray was with Camille Bells. And that was all.

* * *

"Oh, looks like there's no parking space! Let's go home-"

"Mitchie!" Tracy whined. Mitchie sighed, defeated once again, as she took another turn around the arena's parking lot. Tracy pressed her face against the window, darting her eyes in every corner, making sure that she will not miss an empty parking space. "There has to be a parking spot somewhere! The concert is in three hours! How can this place be already packed?" Mitchie snorted.

"You really thought that you would be early if you came in three hours in advance? We're at a _Connect 3_ concert, Trace. Three hours early is like coming in the last minute." Mitchie scoffed. She made another turn around, happy to see that there were no parking spaces available. Mitchie assumed that Tracy would just grow irritated and give up on the concert.

"Oh, I see one!" Tracy squealed. She was practically off her seat as she pointed frantically at the open car space. Mitchie groaned and parked her car into it. Before she even put the car in park, Tracy took off like a bullet. She was already half way down the parking lot when Mitchie was out of the car. Mitchie unwillingly ran after her crazy sister.

"Tracy Torres, get back here!" Mitchie yelled. She pulled her hood up and placed her sunglasses tightly around her eyes so that no one could recognize her. Mitchie tried not to act paranoid as teenage girls stared at her weirdly. But then again, she was running like a wild woman in the middle of a parking lot. "Tracy!" Mitchie screamed. Tracy finally stopped, causing Mitchie to bump into her, almost knocking both of them over. Mitchie panted and fanned herself, trying to catch her breath. "Run away from me again, and I'll leave you here." Mitchie threatened in between her breaths.

Tracy rolled her eyes and grabbed Mitchie's hand. "Come on, we need to get to our seats!" Tracy said, dragging Mitchie into the arena.

After showing their tickets, the sisters made their way into the stadium and took their seats. Mitchie looked around in awe. Every single seat in every single row in this immense stadium was filled. Not one inch of floor was uncovered. Mitchie looked around, smiling. The red velvety chairs, the balconies on top, the stage in the front. Mitchie closed her eyes, remembering the days when her concerts were packed like this. She could feel the music around her, touch the rhythm that was helping her, and taste the adrenaline in her mouth.

"Wow, there are a lot of people in here." Tracy commented, looking around. "Meaning that Shane can't possibly see you! See, everyone wins!" she said, elbowing Mitchie in the side. Mitchie glared at Tracy before standing up.

"I need to go to the bathroom really quick." She said.

"Hurry up! You don't want to miss the concert when it starts!" Mitchie shook her head.

_Yes I do_. She thought before walking into the back. Mitchie looked around, trying to find the bathroom. She played in this stadium before; she _should_ know where the bathroom is. Mitchie frowned unhopefully to see that she was lost. Every step she took led her to a completely different place, and it seemed like there was no way back. Mitchie slowly made another move, hoping that she reached the bathroom or back at the stadium.

To her surprise, she ended up in a crowded hallway filled with musicians and other busy people. She tried to stealthily sneak her way back out, but every door and exit was either locked or blocked. Mitchie bit her lip and spun around, trying to find another way out. She kept on walking forward, telling herself to not make eye contact with anyone. She adjusted her sunglasses awkwardly, trying to look as normal and invisible as possible.

"Where is my freaking microphone?! I am not using these shitty ones!" Mitchie heard a voice yell. Immediately, the entire back stage quieted down. Mitchie stopped moving. She felt her heart racing and sweat droplets forming in her forehead. "Where the hell is it?! Why don't you people do your jobs and find it! I'm not playing with crappy microphones!" his voice sounded closer. Mitchie closed her eyes tightly, hoping that she was no where near him. She then heard footsteps. From the corner of her eye, Mitchie saw Shane Gray himself, walking towards her. "You, get me my microphone." He ordered, pointing at her.

As much as Mitchie wanted to kick Shane and slap him for being such a needy prick, she felt overpowered, weak, but worst of all, _scared_. Shane Gray was mad – no, beyond pissed. Mitchie has known Shane long enough what to do and what not to do in a situation like this. Only a fool would stand up to him right now. "M-me?" Mitchie whispered, praying to Christ that he was speaking the person next to her. Shane rolled his eyes, annoyed.

"Yes _you_. Now go get them! I have a concert to play!" he roared. Mitchie stumbled back, her eyes widening. Honestly, she has never seen Shane this angry in a while. Yes, she's seen him act like a complete asshole but never this mad. Mitchie continued to stay in place, her body frozen. "Do you want to get fired?!" Shane threatened.

"I – I – uh…" Mitchie stuttered.

"Wait, she doesn't work here." One of the other workers pointed out. Shane's glare softened only slightly. He looked carefully at Mitchie, his eyes moving down to up.

"Then what the hell is she doing here? Security!"

"I just need to find the bathroom!" Mitchie whined. "God, you're such a spoiled jerk of a popstar! I mean, you're picking on a person who happened to get lost in this stupid stadium in one of your stupid concerts!" Mitchie closed her mouth, regretting what she just said. Shane gave Mitchie an incredulous look. Everyone in backstage looked at Mitchie as well, disbelieving. They couldn't believe their ears.

"Who _are_ you and what gives you the right to talk to me like that?" Shane asked shakily. He almost wanted to hit this girl in front of him. "And it's _rockstar_ not popstar!" Shane exclaimed.

"In my world, you're just a cookie-cutter-popstar." Mitchie spat back. She covered her mouth with her hand, wishing that she could stop thinking out loud. Shane blinked at Mitchie, shocked. He only knew one person who referred him as a cookie-cutter-popstar. Shane's cold dark eyes completely softened out, his edgy body loosened, and his scrunched up angry face alleviated. "I – um – where is the bathroom?" Mitchie asked quickly, desperately wanting to go now.

Shane slowly reached out towards Mitchie. He pulled her hood down, revealing Mitchie's straight brown hair. Shane felt his heart beating faster and faster as realization zoomed through his mind. Mitchie looked down, hoping that Shane would stop there. To her dismay, Shane pulled her sunglasses away from her eyes. He gasped once he saw what was hiding behind that disguise.

Nate and Jason arrived into the hallway, Nate looking annoyed again while Jason looked perky as always. "Shane, I can't believe you're yelling at these people again-" Nate stopped before he could finish his sentence. He looked at Jason before back at Shane and Mitchie.

"Mitchie!" Jason exclaimed, running over to her to hug her. Mitchie stumbled into the hug but smiled and patted Jason's back. "It's been so long since the last time I saw you!" he said. Apparently, Jason is the only one who wasn't in shock. "So how's it going? And why are you here? I wouldn't think that you would come to one of our concerts."

"Oh…well it's my little sister's birthday and this is what she wanted so…um…" Mitchie said uneasily. Her eyes were planted firmly on the floor because she knew that Shane was staring right at her, probably still gaping. Mitchie glanced up to see that she was right. Seeing his eyes on her, knowing that it actually is her, was something Mitchie couldn't handle. "The bathroom?" she asked weakly, knowing that was her only excuse. But now, she can't find the urge to go.

"Someone take her to the bathroom." Shane ordered. He looked around himself, seeing that nobody has still moved an inch. "_Now_." He said. Immediately, four people rushed towards Mitchie, personally escorting her into one of the bathrooms in the stadium.

Shane frowned and trudged back into his dressing room. He couldn't believe himself. The one person he couldn't stand seeing get hurt just got yelled at painfully by him. Shane couldn't stand the fear Mitchie expressed when he raised his voice at her. He would rather have her hate him than be afraid of him. Shane groaned and buried his face into his hands, muttering curse words.

"I can't believe Mitchie ended up here! Isn't that so cool?" Shane heard Jason say. Shane looked up to see Nate and Jason already next to him. "She still looks really pretty…but scared? Shane, what did you do to her?" Jason asked. Shane opened his mouth, wanting to defend himself, telling them that he didn't mean to yell at her like that. But he was too caught up in shock to even speak. Jason frowned and gave Shane a stern look. "She was the one you were yelling at, wasn't she?" he asked.

"I didn't know it was her-"

"You weren't supposed to be yelling in the first place!" Nate cut him off. He groaned, aggravated, and rolled his eyes. "You're supposed to treat people with respect, Shane, not like they're some piece of worthless crap. And you freaked out because they had the _wrong microphone_? What the hell is up with you?! You know, right now, I'm glad that Mitchie has sense to stay away from someone like you!"

Shane didn't punch Nate. He didn't yell at him, telling him off angrily. Instead, he sighed, totally agreeing with his band member. Mitchie needed someone with self-control, someone with a heart. Shane sadly doesn't have those anymore. "I want her back." Is what Shane said instead. His voice so desperate, so hopeless, so alone. Nate's irritated look disappeared while Jason gave Shane a solemn look. "I need her back. She belongs to me. She has always been mine! I want her back!" Shane said, sounding like a whiny child who didn't get what he wanted.

"Shane, Mitchie isn't just a piece of property you own. You can't just get her back that easily." Nate said, his voice soothing and soft.

"I don't care! I want her back!" Shane said.

"Shane, you can't always get what you want." Shane frowned and folded his arms across his chest.

"We'll see about that."

* * *

Mitchie was escorted back to her seat by one of Shane's workers. As she sat down, Mitchie felt the biggest need to just ditch Tracy and run all the way back home. She couldn't be here since Shane knows that she's within a mile radius of him. Mitchie needed a way out, an escape from Shane his ability to push her into a whirlwind of depression. She doesn't want Shane anywhere near her. And she definitely does not want to be that poor sap that is getting yelled at by Shane Gray again.

"Are you okay?" Tracy asked. Mitchie snapped out of her fear and looked at her sister. "You've been in the bathroom for a long time. I wouldn't expect a long line since the concert is starting soon." Tracy said anxiously. She was worried about her older sister since Mitchie looked like a paranoid wreck.

"Oh…um…I got lost. No biggie." Mitchie muttered back. Tracy nodded, knowing that Mitchie wasn't telling the whole story, but she ignored it. Tonight was her birthday, and she was going to celebrate it in the best ways possible.

Music began to blast from the speakers and lights shot up throughout the stadium. Everyone stood up and began to cheer for Connect 3. Mitchie winced and grabbed her iPod. She turned the music up to its loudest, hoping that it could beat the noise from the speakers and the screaming fans. Mitchie sighed in discontent as the unwanted noise around her was still louder than her iPod. Mitchie decided to put her iPod away and just watch the concert. She has nothing to lose this time.

Bright sparkling lights boomed and smoke pervaded the stage. Connect 3 themselves rose up from the stage, earning piercing screams from every girl from the stadium. Mitchie raised an eyebrow, noticing Shane's smile. It wasn't forced or faked. It was a true, genuine, _happy_ smile. Shane Gray – happy? Impossible.

"Hello, Dallas! Are you ready tonight?!" Shane asked excitedly into the microphone. It was like all of that anger washed away and replaced itself with something else. Something un-Shane like. Normally, it was Jason or Nate who greeted the city. It was always them who looked like they were ready to have the time of their lives. Not Shane. Never Shane.

Mitchie blinked. She also couldn't help but notice how Shane's eyes looked like they were directly on her. But she was far away. He couldn't spot her from this distance. Though, it still seemed like Shane kept on staring and staring at her. And his eyes didn't move anywhere else for the rest of the concert.


	3. The Aftershock

3. The Aftershock

Mitchie stepped into her house, feeling a wave of victory hit her. She closed her eyes and slid down the door, taking a deep long breath. She survived a Connect 3 concert with her beyond annoying little sister and is still standing in one piece. She must be Super Girl. Mitchie stretched and stood up, wanting to spoil herself with melted chocolate while she lay lazily on her big fluffy bed. She definitely deserved it. Mitchie looked around her living room, realizing that she couldn't make her way through to the kitchen with the lights off. Mitchie turned the light switch on and gasped to what she saw.

Dozens of flowers rested upon her couch, sitting in a certain pattern that reflected their beauty at their best. Boxes of chocolates and small pints of ice cream spread against the coffee table, all of them were samples from collections of Mitchie's favorite. Mitchie giggled giddily, knowing that she wouldn't have to go all the way to the kitchen now to get her chocolate. She walked up to the box and opened it, inhaling the sweet scent of that sweet goodness. That mixed with the aroma of ice creams and flowers combining all together, Mitchie felt like she was in heaven.

Mitchie sat on the recliner next to the couch and popped a chocolate into her mouth. She sighed as she savored the delicious taste. Mitchie wondered who could have done this. She thought that it could have been her parents since they're the only ones who have the keys to her house besides her herself. But why would her parents do that? It's not like Mitchie was worthy to receive a gift that was extravagant as this. All she did was take her baby sister to a Connect 3 concert. There's nothing special about that.

Then who would have done this?

Mitchie looked around her living room curiously and set her chocolates aside. She reached out and picked up a sunflower. She twirled it between her fingers, smiling because she loved sunflowers so much. Mitchie then dropped the flower onto the coffee table. Not many people knew her favorite flower...Who was this person and how the heck did he or she get into her house? Mitchie stood up once she noticed a card on her coffee table. She picked it up and opened it. In an instant, it was like Mitchie's entire mood died down.

_Mitchie, _

_I was really glad to see you there tonight…you have no idea. I haven't played that well in what seemed like forever. For once I was having fun, I was jumping around, singing to my very best, and I loved it. And just to let you know, you were the reason for the success in our concert tonight. You were like my wake-up call, my realization. Seeing you out there reminded me about how much I love music, how much it means to me. It was like you gave me a reason to perform tonight. I'm pretty sure you felt the opposite, but I just wanted to say…thank you and…I miss you. We should…catch up. _

_-S.G. _

Mitchie wanted to ignite a blazing fire in her fireplace and watch this note – along with the other gifts – burn in that small circle of searing destroyers. She didn't care how thoughtful or how beautiful the gifts were. Mitchie wanted them _gone_. She then shook her head, thinking that imagining things from an evil dictator's mind wasn't the best way to end tonight. It has been a long day, and all she wanted to do was go to sleep. Thinking about those presents will just add stress, and Mitchie needed to get up early for work tomorrow. She stepped away from the presents and trudged upstairs into her room.

She couldn't believe that Shane actually broke into her house to deliver flowers, chocolates, and ice creams. Wait – she could believe it. It's so…Shane Gray: the guy who overdid things when it came to trying to get what he wanted. Mitchie just wished it didn't happen. What was she suppose to say to him the next time the meet? "Thank you" was just not the phrase that came up to her mind when Shane Gray was in her vision. "I hate you" or "Go perish in Hell" was more likely.

Mitchie slipped into her pajamas and walked into her bathroom. She stared at herself in the mirror, wondering why the heck Shane wanted her back. She wasn't stupid; she could tell that he was desperately seeking her love back. Her question was: _why_. Mitchie thought that she made it clear that she didn't want any contact between her and Shane after that big split up. She thought that it was obvious that she didn't want to get back with him – let alone _see _him. Plus, Shane has a girlfriend. Why would he risk his reputation just to get a small town girl back?

After brushing her teeth, Mitchie skipped back into her bedroom. She collapsed on top of her bed and slid under the covers, pulling them securely around her body. She blinked into the darkness, still wondering. Wondering what she should do with those gifts tomorrow (if she had a blowtorch, then her problem would be solved), wondering what the media would say once they find out where she was living (Jason means well but he always did have a big mouth), but more importantly, Mitchie wondered what would happen if she had to endure another encounter with Shane Gray: rockstar.

Mitchie turned to the other side, pressing that linen pillow to her body. She grasped her hold against the feathers inside, trying to find her inner peace. Mitchie closed her eyes and breathed against the fabric, attempting to snooze off. All she would have to do is sleep so that Shane Gray will finally escape her mind. But once again, it was like the entire universe hated Mitchie and she couldn't doze off even a little. Whirlwinds of anger and confusion swirled around her head, causing unwanted tornadoes to overcome her. Even at the perfect surroundings of tranquility, Mitchie just couldn't find serenity in her mind.

She couldn't believe how much Shane intimidated her, even at this moment. She couldn't believe that she actually began to refer him as _Shane Gray, _something she thought she would never do again. It made him sound like he ruled the world with an iron fist – which technically, he does. He has the music world bowing down to his every need. Shane was their biggest money making scam. Without him, music would be uncared for again. And it was too obvious that Shane hated the way the music industry saw him. He was just a toy. Once that toy got too old, he will be replaced by a newer toy. So Shane tried to show that he wasn't one to mess around with. And God, did he have his way of showing things. Because of his actions, Mitchie grew even nervier with Shane.

Mitchie shut her eyes tight, desperately willing herself to go to sleep. She had work early tomorrow, and she needed the rest. Victoria wouldn't allow half-awake waitresses serving her Barney's Burgers. And she definitely wouldn't take the excuse Mitchie would give her. _Shane Gray was haunting my mind. _Mitchie even tried counting sheep! By the time 1:00 AM rolled by, Mitchie gave up. She – no matter how much she didn't want to – began to think of a certain lullaby to put her to sleep.

_But tonight…I'm gonna fly…yeah tonight…I'm gonna fly! 'Cause I could go around the world and never be satisfied…if I couldn't see those…eyes…_

And with that short verse, Mitchie fell quickly asleep. No matter how much she hates Shane Gray and is scared to heck with him, his voice is still, by far, the sweetest and calmest melody to her ears.

* * *

Shane stared at his phone blankly. Every time he tried to reach for it, it was like an electric fence shocked him, causing his attempts to fail. It was past midnight, and he still hasn't collected enough courage to call Camille and break things off with her. Really, he wasn't over Mitchie. Really, he never loved Camille. So it would be obvious – and right for every reason – that Shane should break up with her. Every person in the world might actually think that he had common sense for once.

Shane sighed and rubbed his sleepy eyes. He's been staring at that cell phone for three hours straight. He never thought that it would be _this hard_ to just end things with a girl he didn't even like. "Why is this so difficult?" he complained, throwing his head back in pure irritation. "Come on, Gray, you can do this." He muttered trying to build up that high self-esteem he normally has. Shane picked up his cell phone and pressed the first number to Camille's number. Shane immediately dropped his phone. It was like lightning struck him or a plane crashed into him. Shane just couldn't do it.

"You know you want Mitchie back. You know that you need to end things with Camille. Why can't you just do it for God's sake?" Shane hissed. Shane's cell phone suddenly vibrated. His eyes lit up with relief. He thought that Camille called him instead, so he didn't have to waste his time staring at his phone anymore. Shane frowned to see that it was just Nate who was calling him. Shane answered the phone reluctantly, making sure to give a hard edge on Nate for disturbing him. "What?" he asked, his voice filled with aggravation.

"_Okay, I know you're going to say that I'm paranoid or something, but seriously, where the hell did you go after the concert?!_" Nate roared into the phone. Shane winced. He swore his eardrums shattered. Before Shane even got the chance to speak up and explain, Nate continued to yell. "_You could have at least called us! We had the freaking police looking for you! Then hours later you finally decide to call Jason and tell him that you had 'things to take care of'! What is _wrong_ with you?!_"

"Nate, dude, relax." Shane said. He knew that he pushed Nate's final button. The kid he grew up with and always knew was now finally giving Shane a taste of his own medicine. God, it was sour. And to make things worse, Jason wasn't in the back round. Shane had no one to help him out now.

"Relax?_ You're telling me to relax?! I know you're not over Mitchie and all, but if she doesn't want you back, and if your current girlfriend has an unhealthy love struck obsession over you, then you should be smart enough to realize that you're completely wasting your time in Dallas! What the hell did you even do?!_"

"_Nate, relax!_" this time, it wasn't Shane who said that. Shane sighed in relief to hear Jason's voice. "_What would you do if you were in this position? I know that Shane was being irresponsible, but give him a break. All he's trying to do is get a girl he likes back_." Right there, Shane immediately took back every bad thing he's ever said about Jason.

"Thank you, _Jason_," Shane said. He could feel Nate roll his eyes and Jason smile happily. "And all I did was drop a couple of stuff at someone's house. No biggie." Shane said casually, trying to keep his explanation as vague as possible while trying not to get on Nate's nerves again.

"_What do you mean? Whose house did you go to and what did you drop off?" _Nate asked, his voice calming down a little. Shane scratched the back of his neck and kept silent. He stared down at the receipt from the store he bought the things for Mitchie and the paper of directions leading to Mitchie's house. Shane bit his lip, indicating where he went. His silence was enough of an answer. "_Oh God. You actually went to her house? What did you do?" _Nate asked, the annoyance reaching back into his voice.

"I just dropped her favorite flowers, a couple boxes of chocolate, and ice cream. Nothing you should worry over." Shane said, trying to sound as innocent as he possibly could. Surprisingly, both Nate and Jason began to howl with laughter on the other line. Shane furrowed his eyebrows and frowned. "What?" he demanded.

"_I am not surprised. Good night, Shane!_" Jason said.

"Wait-"

But the line went dead. Shane groaned and threw his cell phone on top of the nightstand. He took a glimpse of the clock and read 2:07 AM. Shane grabbed the other set of directions leading to another place from his back pocket. He smirked and set them besides his phone. Shane rolled under the covers and drifted off to sleep. Anyways, he needed the energy. He was going to do a lot tomorrow.

* * *

Mitchie groaned to the sound of her buzzing alarm clock. She nearly fell out of bed as she tried to get up. Mitchie unwillingly walked into the shower, hating how she only received six hours of sleep last night. She allowed the steam of the hot water from the shower and its burning touch wake her up. Mitchie was almost fully awake once she stepped out of the shower. She wrapped her bathrobe around her body and stepped out of the tub. Mitchie looked at the mirror that was covered with steam. She wiped it in circles, revealing a wet version of herself.

"Just another normal day for you, Mitchie. Just move on with the day." She muttered. Mitchie dried herself before walking out of the bathroom. She slipped on her uniform and tied her hair into a side pony-tail, lettings loose strands of her chocolate colored hair escape. Mitchie jogged down the stairs, not bothering to make her bed, and stepped into her kitchen. She grabbed a banana and headed towards the door. She tried to ignore the gifts that still settled on top of Mitchie's furniture uselessly. She had plans for them later on.

Mitchie opened the door and unlocked her car. She stopped abruptly, almost stepping something on her doorstep. She raised an eyebrow to see a beautifully woven basket that proudly carried dozens of sunflowers. Mitchie _had_ to smile. She bent down and picked the basket up, taking one sunflower into her fingers and smelling it. Her eyes closed slowly as she took in the alluring scent. Mitchie _almost_ forgot who sent it to her. Almost instantly, she placed the basket next to the rest of the flowers and grumbled angrily. She found in unbelievable of how Shane could ruin her day this early.

Mitchie stepped into her car and drove to Barney's Burgers. She had burgers to cook and hungry mouths to serve. When she parked her car in front of the restaurant, Mitchie noticed the small box sitting on the passenger seat. Mitchie stared at the purple velvet box incredulously.

_How the heck does he do this?!_ She demanded. Unless Shane stole her car keys in the middle of the night, Mitchie just couldn't find an explanation to this. But curiosity won against her tolerance, and Mitchie opened the box. She took in a soft breath once her eyes met a pair of beautiful diamond earrings. She stared down at the price that Shane forgot to take of – typical. Mitchie almost felt guilty. $2,872.00.

Mitchie placed the earrings back in the tiny box and safely tucked them into the depths of her bag. She swung the strap of her purse around her shoulders and walked out of her car, locking it behind her as she stepped into the restaurant. Mitchie checked in and sat behind the counter, already waiting for this day to end.

She looked around, seeing that there was nothing else to spend her free time. Old folk drank their coffee in the corner as they stared up at the TV, complaining every few seconds about what was on the news. The other waitresses around Mitchie, who were high school teenagers working since their dream summer jobs were all taken, were gossiping unsubtly about who hooked up with whom. And Victoria was counting money avariciously as usual. Mitchie rolled her eyes, thinking that she was surrounded by a crowd of petty people.

"Hey, M," Cassandra, the only other adult worker besides Mitchie and Victoria in Barney's Burgers, greeted, making her way over to Mitchie. Mitchie smiled in return, having no effort or interest to talk to Cassandra today. Cassandra is a nice girl, but she's too perky and optimistic to Mitchie's liking. She was downright annoying as well. "God, did you know that Connect 3 is all over the news? Just because Shawn Grain found a heart or something." Cassandra said. Mitchie almost laughed. It was like she was having a conversation with a pre-school girl who just mistaken Santa Claus for her fat grandpa.

"It's Shane Gray, Cassandra." Mitchie said.

"Oh…I thought you didn't like them? Anyways, I just think that it's funny how a band is all over the news just because he's acting nicer. People are acting like Jesus came back from Heaven to save us or something."

"What do you mean that he's all over the news?" Mitchie asked oddly. Cassandra pointed at the TV hanging above the old men.

"_Connect 3 had their last concert of their summer tour at Dallas, Texas, and let me tell you that it was the most memorable concert these girls has seen in what seemed like forever. For three years straight, each concert Shane Gray has performed resulted in catastrophe or frantic blow ups. But last night's concert was considered as 'the best concert Connect 3 has ever played in a long time'. Could it be that the magic these men are coming back to them, or do you think that it's something else?_" the news reporter stated. Mitchie blinked. And this wasn't E! news they were watching, this was a regular news casting station.

"What is wrong with the world?" Mitchie muttered, giving the television a strange look before looking back at Cassandra. She couldn't believe that a _real _and _serious _news station would actually care what a popstar does. "They all make it seem like Shane Gray is this god to them. It's…so…unbelievable."

"Enough talking, you two, and serve that customer." Victoria said, cutting in between Mitchie and Cassandra. She pointed at the newly arrived man whom was wearing a light brown and tattered coat with a black hat sitting above his wavy hair. The man adjusted his dark sunglasses before taking a seat in the very back of the restaurant. "Well don't just stand there, move!" Victoria said, snapping her fingers in front of Mitchie and Cassandra's faces. Cassandra walked into the kitchen, waiting patiently for Mitchie to give her the order while Mitchie made her way towards the strange man, her notepad and pen ready.

"Welcome to Barney's Burgers, how may I help you?" Mitchie asked, faking as much enthusiasm and kindness into her voice. She stared at the man, wondering how a disguised person could still be capable of looking beautiful. He was practically wearing rags yet he still appeared to be handsome and mesmerizing. The man smirked at Mitchie's staring and began to chuckle. Mitchie's self-esteem began to tear down as this man laughed at her. She blushed immediately, hoping that it wasn't too obvious that she was gawking at him.

"I knew you were going to be here." The man said. And as those words left his luscious lips, Mitchie recognized the voice. Of course, it wasn't that hard. She's heard his angelic voice right off of those gigantic speakers at the concert last night. She's bound to memorize it eventually during that dreadful period.

"What do you want, Shane?" Mitchie asked, folding her arms across her chest furiously. Shane's smirk grew, amused. He just enjoyed watching Mitchie's irritation dance in her eyes. Shane slid his sunglasses up to his nose and gave Mitchie a charming smile.

"I want lots of things, Mitchie. Lots of things." He winked. Mitchie sneered at Shane, trying not to get intimidated like last night. She was going to fight her way through this and a cookie-cutter popstar like Shane Gray wasn't going to win her war.

"Oh, well too bad because people don't always get what they want. So what do you want for breakfast?" Mitchie asked, grabbing her notepad and pen indignantly. Shane laughed at Mitchie's words.

"Now, now, you know that I can get whatever I want. Why do people always tell me that? But more importantly, I can get you whatever _you _want, whatever makes _you_ happy." Shane said, sincerely this time. Mitchie's eyes moved down at her shoes. She didn't think that she could withstand the power of Shane's tempting cinnamon orbs when he sweet talked her like that. "Did you like my presents?" he asked cheekily. Mitchie scoffed, the enticement disappearing from Shane's appearance.

"Yes, they absolutely made my day." She said, sarcasm hanging on with each word. Shane smirked, brushing off Mitchie's rude comment.

"Good," he said.

"Okay, now what do you want?" Mitchie asked, just wanting to get down Shane's order badly.

"You and me, hanging out like we used to. Hey, to make it even better, let's go out on a date instead!" Shane said, throwing his hands up in the air as if the war was announced over. Mitchie placed a hand on her hip and gave Shane a look.

"You honestly think that you're going to win me over like that? I don't think so, Shane. Now tell me what you want to order before I have to throw you out." Mitchie threatened. Shane jeered and shook his head.

"And you honestly think I'm going to give up that easily?" he challenged. Mitchie inched closer towards Shane's face, glaring intensely into his eyes.

"You do realize that all of the girls I work with here are _teenage _girls who _love_ Connect 3, right?" she asked, smirking at him. Shane finally frowned. He sunk back into his seat, raising an eyebrow at Mitchie.

"You wouldn't." he dared.

"Watch me." Before Shane could open his mouth, Mitchie screamed shrilly at the top of her lungs. "Oh my God! It's Shane Gray from Connect 3! Oh my God!" Mitchie squealed, perfecting the fan girl anthem that she's heard millions of times. Mitchie immediately stepped away as a clump of teen girls rushed towards Shane, attacking him with pictures, random objects to sign, and creepy confessions. Mitchie smirked at Shane and walked back behind the counter.

"Whoa, what a coincidence, right?" Cassandra laughed. "Who knew that Shane Gray would be in our little restaurant?" Mitchie shrugged as she proudly stared at the mess she created for Shane. _Take that, Gray_.

"Oh, alert the local news station! This will definitely add more profit to our restaurant if Connect 3 fans find out that Shane Gray was here!" Victoria said, reaching out for the phone. Mitchie rolled her eyes while Cassandra shook her head. Of course Victoria would be the one who would only care about how a self-centered popstar could make more money for the restaurant.

"Don't worry, they won't come. They'll think that they're getting prank called. I mean, I don't even believe that _Shane Gray _is at Barney's Burgers in Dallas, Texas, and the guy is right there." Cassandra murmured towards Mitchie. Mitchie laughed, trying to hide the emotions that were building up inside of her. Deep down, she hoped that the news station did think that they were getting prank called.

* * *

"What the hell was that?" Shane demanded as Mitchie stepped out for her lunch break. He's been trapped in that one booth for the past couple hours, having no possible place to flee from those girls. He had to crawl his way through them, his clothes ripped off or stolen in the process.

Mitchie laughed and shook her head, heading towards her car. "You were being difficult. You just had to be punished." She smirked, unlocking her vehicle.

"Well you owe me a new shirt, new pants, and new shoes." Shane said. Mitchie stared at his attire and burst out laughing. "It's _not _funny." He gritted through his teeth.

"No, it's hilarious!" Shane looked down at his shredded clothing and his missing shoes. "And I don't owe you anything. I'm going out to eat." Mitchie declared, stepping into her car. Shane sat in the passenger seat and gave Mitchie a smirk. Mitchie squinted at him, her patience wearing thin with each second. "Come on, Shane, you already know that I didn't want to 'hang out' with you. Just let me eat my lunch in peace." She begged, pushing him towards the car door. Shane, who was a whole lot burly than Mitchie remembered, stayed still, having no affect with Mitchie's attempts to push him out. He smirked and intertwined Mitchie's fingers with his.

"I'll pay for your lunch. You know you wanna." He teased. Mitchie slipped her fingers away, wiping them against her jeans. She gave Shane an exasperating look and drummed her fingers against the steering wheel. "I promise not to annoy you." Shane said. Mitchie could see the desperation through his smirk. She sighed and placed her keys into the ignition.

"Fine, but you _better _not do anything. And you're paying." She mumbled, staring the car. Shane smiled in satisfaction. Now all he had to do is to get Mitchie to fall back in love with him. But after seeing her get frustrated with him in every possible way, getting Mitchie to fall back in love with him does not seem easy at all.

**A/N: Guess what today is! My last day of school and first day of summer! You have no idea how happy and relieved I am! Plus, I want to thank you guys again for your really sweet reviews. You guys are amazing. Sorry that this chapter was kind of short. I realized that I didn't update for some time now, and I just really wanted to. I don't know if you would consider this as a filler chapter or not, but it wasn't meant to be. lol. **


	4. Pushing Closer, Pulling Farther

**A/N: Hey, guys! Sorry for the delay. I was having stupid writer's block again. But now I got cured after watching Camp Rock! Watching it again made me remember how much I love Smitchie/Jemi. I kept on squealing every time the two had their moments, as if I've never watched this movie before. They better kiss in CR 2 though! If they don't I might complain to Disney or something! haha. Oh and happy belated Jemi/Nelena Day! (That was on 6/20 btw.)**

4. Pushing Closer, Pulling Farther

It was a complete awkward silence in the car. Neither had said a word the whole entire ride. Mitchie uncomfortably shifted back and forth in her seat, wishing that Shane was gone, while Shane stared out of the window, looking bored but feeling scared. He wanted to desperately make out a conversation. He was conceited, he was rude, so he could easily start a topic about himself. But that goes against the "Don't Annoy Mitchie" rule. Shane then felt something poking his leg. He grabbed what was under him and smiled. "Did you like the earrings?" he asked, giving Mitchie his famous cheeky smile.

"They're _really _expensive." Mitchie replied back without taking her eyes off of the road. She didn't want to actually admit that she adored them. (Shane's ego would grow.) "You could have bought something more reasonable with two thousand dollars, like, I don't know…a plane ticket back to LA." Shane rolled his eyes and placed the box of earrings in the backseat. "But thanks." Mitchie muttered indignantly. Shane's smirk grew even wider. He chuckled silently to himself and stared out the window again. Mitchie stepped on the gas, wanting to go faster. It was like the concert all over again. She just wants this to _end_.

Mitchie stopped in front of McDonald's and parked her car. Shane stared at the restaurant for a moment then burst out laughing. "What?" Mitchie demanded, stepping out of her car, feeling annoyed already. Shane continued to laugh as he followed Mitchie into the fast food restaurant. "You are so unbearable!" Mitchie yelled, smacking Shane in the arm. "Now why are you laughing?!"

"_I'm not a supermodel. I still eat McDonald's. Baby, that's just me._" Shane sung. Mitchie turned red and shook her head, trying to look irritated instead of embarrassed. She would always blush out of humiliation every time she would hear one of her songs on the radio or if anybody quoted them. They were just so old, so out of date, so _embarrassing_. Mitchie quickened her pace and stood in line. Shane followed closely behind her. "So, if you hate burgers, why are you in McDonald's?" he questioned. Mitchie gave him a look, fighting the urge to slap him across the face. She couldn't understand why she gets so easily annoyed by him. It must be a curse.

"Because McDonald's actually has something other than burgers. And you said that you're not going to annoy me. You're annoying me!" Shane held his hands up in defense and took a step back away from Mitchie. Mitchie sighed and clenched her fists. She closed her eyes and took deep breaths, trying to calm herself. "Peace and quiet. Peace and quiet." She chanted silently to herself.

"You're next." Shane said, nudging Mitchie. Mitchie snapped her eyes opened to find a very aggravated man behind the cash register. She jogged up to the counter and peered over the menu list above her. "I'll have a cheeseburger." She heard Shane say in a bored voice. The man typed in the order and stared at Mitchie. Mitchie bit her lip as her eyes studied the menu. "Are you going to order anything?" Shane whispered into her ear. Mitchie shot him a quick glare before looking back at the man.

"And I'll have a salad and a Sprite." She said with irritation obvious in her voice. The man nodded and typed her order as well before handing Mitchie and Shane a cup. Shane gave the man the cash while Mitchie grabbed the one of the cups and angrily walked over to the soda machine to fill it up. Shane skipped towards her and leaned against the wall, filling his cup with soda as well. "Can't you just wait for the order?" Mitchie whined, having enough with Shane Gray.

"Can't you just go out with me?" Shane replied in the same whiny voice Mitchie gave him. Mitchie squinted at him, desperately wanting to pour the cup of Sprite down his shirt. "Kidding, kidding, jeez you're acting like Nate now. You weren't this uptight when we were going out." Shane smirked. Mitchie gripped onto her cup, almost breaking it apart.

"Just go get the order." She hissed through her lips. Shane chuckled at Mitchie's seething anger and did what he was told while Mitchie furiously walked over to the table and seated herself down. Shane quickly came along with their orders and gently placed it on the table, giving Mitchie a sweet yet cocky smile once again. Mitchie sneered at him before looking away.

"So an old fashion cheeseburger for me and a boring salad for you." He said, handing Mitchie what she ordered. Mitchie rolled her eyes and stared at her tattered salad, wishing it was Shane instead. She pictured his gorgeous face in the center of the lettuce and began to stab it continuously. "Whoa, violent lady over here. You don't wanna break the table, now do you, Mitchie?" Shane joked, taking a bite into his burger.

"You're annoying me." She mumbled. Shane sighed and nodded his head, taking the warning to shut up. Surprisingly, Mitchie hated the silence even more. Shane wasn't one to be "quiet". That was just too odd to progress through one's brain. Shane Gray: the diva with blow ups, the joker with a loud mouth – quiet? Did the world go _mad _or something? "So how're Nate and Jason?" Mitchie blurted out. She mentally scolded herself for speaking to him.

"Oh, they're fine. Jason is still that happy dope while Nate is still a bossy prick." Shane said, shrugging nonchalantly. Mitchie rolled her eyes and took a bite out of her salad. An answer like that coming out of Shane's mouth was not surprising whatsoever. Shane saw her reaction and bit his tongue. "They miss you though. They're always calling me, wondering how you're doing. Jason misses talking about anything to you and Nate misses writing songs with you." Mitchie smiled shyly at this. Shane softly stared at her, knowing that he's _finally _going towards the right direction. "I think they miss you more than they miss me." He joked playfully.

"Ha, I bet." Mitchie replied back with that beautiful smile Shane always adored. He smiled at her, giving her a look that could make Mitchie fall off of her chair. She immediately averted her gaze and stared at her salad. "So, you guys are still really successful. That's…uh…good." She muttered, mixing her bowl out of boredom. Suddenly, her appetite disappeared.

"Yeah, and apparently nobody here knows who you are." Shane said. Mitchie gave him a confused look. "Come on, you're _the _Mitchie Torres. You were bigger than the best! The only way you're not getting attention around here is if these people are either downright stupid or they have no idea who you are." Mitchie bit her lip and rubbed her shoulders slowly. "Oh God, they don't know who you are, do they? Ha, are you pulling off a Hannah Montana or something? Normal girl by day, popstar by night? I mean, your hair is darker and curlier than it was before." Shane laughed, earning another glare from Mitchie.

"For your information, I just say that my name is Mitchie Torres and nobody remembers me. I'm forgotten, Shane, not in hiding." Mitchie hissed. Shane frowned and awkwardly took a sip of his soda. "No one remembers Mitchie Torres…but that's a good thing. I don't want the attention anyways. I had to move seven times since the paparazzi wouldn't leave me alone in my first year of retirement. When I decided to get back to Dallas, I practically was isolated in my parents' house for months until they all forgot about me." Mitchie's voice sounded distant, which worried Shane.

"You miss it, don't you?" he whispered. Mitchie laughed and shook her head. But Shane could see through her act. He knows her too well to know whether she's fine or not. "I saw your face during my concert, Mitchie. You miss those big crowds, those screaming fans, and singing all of your amazing songs. You miss doing what you love." Mitchie stood up abruptly and gave Shane a cold look.

"Well thanks to you, I can't do that anymore." She spat, turning to leave. She jogged out into the parking lot until she reached her car. Shane instantly ran after her, not caring that there was a half-eaten cheeseburger and a bowl of salad still on their table. He reached Mitchie as she opened her car door. He instantaneously closed the door and stood firmly in between it and her.

"You didn't have to leave, you know. You could have stayed in LA, and you still would be doing what you loved." Shane said. "You could have – no you _should have _– stayed with me!" he yelled. Mitchie glowered at him. She wanted to kick him and hurt him in many ways possible. She urged to scream things at him, things that were close enough to being a sin. But she couldn't. Instead, she began to feel tears well up behind her eyes and her independent personality disappearing, replacing itself with vulnerability. "That's what love is supposed to be about, right? Second chances. But you gave me _none_."

"You don't get it, don't you?" she whispered, fearing that her voice will crack. "You really don't get it. Is your ego too big or something? Is that why you can't even figure out why I left the music business? Or are you just plain retarded? Do you even know what kind of pain you made me feel?!" Shane frowned; his eyes softening as he apologetically stared at her. "You made me go through Hell, Shane!" Mitchie yelled, poking his chest roughly. She wiped her eyes quickly, feeling tears slip out. "I'm going, and please, just leave me alone." She whispered, pushing Shane aside so she could finally get to her car.

Shane watched her drive away, feeling as if the colors surrounding his vision were fading into black. _Do you even know what kind of pain you made me feel? You made me go through Hell, Shane! _He heard her words repeat themselves in his head over and over again. Shane felt like he was going to drop. He stared up at the blue sky, wondering how such a colorful sight could look so dull. He sighed and began to walk back to Barney's Burgers. To apologize to Mitchie? No, he was too scared to. He needed to get his car before those fan girls vandalized it with marriage proposals – or worse.

* * *

"_So, how did things go with Mitchie?"_ Jason asked. Shane heard shuffling noises in the background and Nate complaining about another thing again. Apparently, Jason was creating something that was getting on Nate's last nerve – as usual. _"Oh, hold on, dude." _Jason said to Shane. _"Come on, Nate, just let me finish this! Do you have any idea how hard this is? It takes skill and determination!"_

"_Dude, you're making paper monsters. That takes no skill or determination at all! All you have to do is crumple paper and add eyes and mouths! Just let me talk to Shane." _Shane rolled his eyes. Oh, why did he always hate talking to Nate? Jason sighed and handed the phone to Nate. _"Guess who came barged into my apartment yesterday, Shane?" _Nate said in a fake enthusiastic voice. Shane rolled his eyes again. The two could get on each other's nerves in a snap.

"Who?" Shane asked, making sure that his voice sounded obviously bored.

"_Your _girlfriend_, Camille Bells. You know, the girl you don't even _like_. The girl who you were _supposed _to break up with! Dude, please tell me that you're either breaking up with her right now or you're staying away from Mitchie. I can't stand Camille's presence! She is by far the most annoying person in the world! I don't know how you can live through a whole day with her! She only talks about you! She's way too in love with you - and in the creepy way." _

"Relax; I'm breaking up with her soon. Don't get your boxers in a twist." Shane said. He didn't know what irritated him more: when Nate was worried or when Nate was angry. Nate sighed, sounding tired.

"_I hate it when you do stupid things, Shane. I almost hate it as much when you lie. Don't make up excuses that you're going to eventually break up with Camille." _Shane groaned silently. Nate took this hint to change the topic. _"But how are things going on with Mitchie? Is she warming up to you?" _he asked. His voice actually sounded hopeful for once, surprising Shane.

"Not. At. All." Shane said. He dropped onto his bed and rubbed his eyes. "She either hates me or she's scared of me." Nate chuckled on the other line. "It's not funny. She barely makes eye contact with me and she always insults me. She thinks I'm like the devil!" Shane could hear Nate and Jason laughing uncontrollably now. He glared into space, wanting to send it out to them. "You guys are not supportive whatsoever."

"_Well you can't blame her, Shane. You are like the devil though many people's eyes. The rockstar devil."_ Nate said. Shane shook his head and sighed.

"But I'm being _so nice _to her." Shane complained. "She still either ignores me or hates on me. I don't get what I'm doing wrong."

"_Are you being nice to her, or are you being Shane Gray nice to her?" _Shane bit his lip, not knowing honestly. _"Okay, if you want her to actually talk to you back, why don't you A: stop acting like a total bastard," _Shane gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. Oh, how he really wanted to throw something at Nate right now. _"And B: stop acting like an egomaniac." _

"_Doesn't that go against Shane's nature though?" _he heard Jason laugh in the background. Shane could hear Nate trying to stifle a laugh. The two couldn't handle it anymore and began to laugh hysterically over the top.

"You guys are _so _dead the next time I see you." Shane warned before hanging up. He could still hear Nate and Jason laughing.

His phone began to ring again. Shane stared at the caller ID for a long time. _Camille Bells_. Curse words ran through his head repeatedly. How was he supposed to answer her? What was he supposed to say to her? How the heck is he supposed to break up with her? Shane continued to just look at his phone as it impatiently rang. He took in a deep breath and ignored the call. He had other important things to do.

Shane closed his eyes and ran his fingers through his dark hair. Stop acting like a total bastard. Stop acting like an egomaniac. How is he supposed to do those _at the same time_? Shane groaned and looked over at his cell phone, which was ringing again. He rejected Camille's call this time and went over to his pictures. People would think that he deleted all of his existing pictures of Mitchie, but they were all wrong. Shane saved every single picture there was of her. Her smile brought him glee; they brought him tranquility during concerts. The sight of her brought him pure happiness. He couldn't delete them.

Shane sorted through his favorite album that contained his favorite picture. A small smile appeared on his lips as he stared at it. It was taken during their second summer at Camp Rock. Shane was standing in the middle of the canoe while it sat on the calm lake waters. He was wrapping his arms tightly around Mitchie's waist, lifting her feet into the air. Mitchie on the other hand was screaming, scared that the canoe was going to tip over. Jason and Nate took it without them knowing. At first, Shane was mad that his friends used his phone without his permission. But now, he was glad that they did.

"_I don't think that you can row this canoe too well." Mitchie teased. Shane held his hand to his chest and gasped, pretending to look offended. _

"_I think you're underestimating me. Shane Gray is a man who's capable of doing the anything! I'm a one of a kind - like Superman!" He winked, pecking Mitchie in the lips. Mitchie giggled and shook her head, ruffling his freshly straightened hair. _

"_You're being so cocky again." She teased, poking the tip of Shane's nose. Shane wrinkled his nose, causing Mitchie to giggle again. "But seriously, if this canoe tips over, I am definitely blaming you!" Mitchie laughed. Shane gave her a cheeky smirk and pinched her nose. _

"_Aw, you don't trust me? That hurts, baby." Shane joked. Mitchie stuck her tongue out at him. "Okay, here, I won't let you fall. Let me prove it." Before Mitchie could even ask what Shane meant, he grabbed her body and carried her in the air while standing unsteadily in the middle of the canoe. Mitchie screamed and gripped onto Shane as if she was holding him for her dear life. _

"_Shane Gray, put me down this instant!" she shrieked. Shane laughed and twirled her around. "Shane, I'm not kidding!" Mitchie screamed. _

"_Don't worry. I got you." Shane whispered against her lips. He pecked her lips sweetly and put her safely down. "See, I would never let you – whoa!" Shane tripped over the edge and fell headfirst into the water. _

"_Shane!" Mitchie laughed as she stared at her soaking wet boyfriend. They could hear Nate and Jason howling with laughter all the way at the docks while taking as many pictures of him. Mitchie giggled and lent Shane her hand. "Come on, popstar. Or _wet _popstar." Mitchie teased. Shane frowned at her. "Aw, you know I love you." She said, pecking his lips. _

_While they kissed, Shane pulled her over and dunked her into the water with him. "Shane!" Mitchie yelled, smacking his arm. Shane laughed and lifted her up in his arms underwater. _

"_I said I would never let you fall. I never said that I wouldn't pull you into the water with me." He winked. Before Mitchie could start yelling and complaining, Shane stopped her by placing his lips on hers._

Shane sighed and clicked onto the next picture.

* * *

"So, Mitchie how was your little lunch date with Shane yesterday? You didn't clock back into work after that. Did something happen?" Cassandra asked. Mitchie looked behind her shoulder over to the group of teenage girl workers whom were still squealing excitedly over the fact that Shane Gray was in the same room as they were yesterday.

"It _wasn't _a lunch date." Mitchie whispered. "And don't tell those girls anything about that. They're probably going to start yelling at me to give them the details or attempt to murder me." Cassandra laughed and shook her head.

"God, you're overreacting. They won't literally kill you, Mitchie." She said.

_Trust me, they would. I would know. _Mitchie thought with an eye roll.

"Oh, speaking of the devil," Cassandra said. She nudged Mitchie and pointed at Shane – who was wearing a better disguise today – and started to laugh. "I think he's obsessed with you." Mitchie sneered at her.

"He's not obsessed with me. He just happens to like this restaurant. Why would he be obsessed with me anyways?" Mitchie stuttered. Cassandra rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"Okay, whatever. Just take the guy's order." She said, pushing Mitchie towards the table. Mitchie stomped angrily towards his direction and sighed.

"Welcome to Barney's Burgers. What would you want to eat?" she asked, not even bothering to sound friendly or put on a fake smile. Shane frowned and sighed. Mitchie's tense body relaxed a bit once she noticed his depressed expression. She almost asked him if anything was wrong, but she bit her tongue before she could open her mouth.

"I just came to say sorry." Shane said. Mitchie almost fell off of her feet. She could feel her legs wobbling. "I mean, I know that it was wrong for me to just come back here randomly and ask you back. So, I'm sorry. I'm really, really sorry for that and…well for _everything_." Mitchie bit her lip and looked down at her shoes. Shane took her hands and stared up at her, his eyes were sad behind his sunglasses. Mitchie surprisingly didn't pull back. Instead she just looked at him, a tad confused. "I just want to be…_friends_…if that's okay with you."

Mitchie looked at him. "Uh…" she whispered. From the corner of her eye, she could see Cassandra leaning against the front counter and eavesdropping on them, looking eager as ever. She felt a wave of emotions hit her barrier, and she didn't like it at all. She wanted to say no to Shane since he deserved every amount of pain possible, but she wanted to say yes for…reasons unknown. "Um…" she looked at Shane and sighed. She couldn't do this. She just couldn't. "I gotta go." She said, running off in lightning speed, feeling tears in the back of her eyes again.

Shane stood up from his seat and gave Mitchie a worried look as she fled out of the restaurant. He stared at the door, wondering if he should run after her or not. He could feel his legs ready to run and his adrenaline pumping. His brain and heart were actually on the same page for once and were telling him to run after her. Shane continued to stare at the door, wondering if he could.


	5. Sorry

**A/N: Eh. I'm a terrible writer :( My confidence is going down the drain. Tell me what's wrong with my writing/story/characters since you guys seemed displeased. **

5. Sorry

Shane shook his head and began to push his feet. "Mitchie! Mitchie, wait!" he yelled, rushing out the restaurant. He looked around frantically to find Mitchie trying to get into her car, but her nonstop tears were preventing her to open her car door correctly. Shane swore his heart sunk. "Mitchie, wait!" Shane yelled again, running as fast as he could towards her. Mitchie glanced at him before hysterically crying again. She began to hyperventilate as her tears ran down like waterfalls from her eyes.

When Shane reached her, he pulled her into his arms and embraced her tightly. "Shhh," Shane cooed. Mitchie cried into his chest, her sobs sounding like screams.

"I hate you! I hate you _so much_! You're so unfair, Shane! You're just so unfair that it's driving me mad!" Mitchie screamed into his shirt, weakly punching his torso. Shane rubbed her back, trying to calm her down.

"What did I do?" Shane whispered. Mitchie screamed even louder. Shane could feel her tears increasing. He questioned himself why he even asked her that. He was the reason for every terrible thing that has happened to Mitchie these three years. Why she's not Mitchie Torres anymore, why she's working at a fast food restaurant that she hates, why she's making minimum wage, why no one remembers her, why she's _so, so_ heartbroken. It was all because of Shane.

"You are so unfair! You told me that I was the only girl you will ever love then you go behind my back and bang up some chick! You said that I was your _only one_!" Shane hugged Mitchie even tighter. He buried his face into her hair, feeling tears behind the back of his eyes.

"Mitchie, baby, you _are _my only one! I told you that it was an accident and-" but it seemed like Shane's words made Mitchie cry even more. Shane stopped and bit his lip, shutting his eyes very tightly. "Mitchie, you know that you were the only girl I have ever loved. To this very _day, _you are the only girl I have ever loved." He whispered shakily.

"No! I'm! Not!" Mitchie muffled into his shirt. She pulled away and wiped her eyes, trying to catch her breath. "You have a girlfriend anyways. You shouldn't be talking to me like that." She muttered, averting her gaze at a different direction. Mitchie folded her arms across her chest, trying to look tough and strong like she always was. She glanced at herself from the reflection of the windows of her car. She looked weak, absolutely frail, like a glass that would shatter if a small pebble touched it. Tears fell from her eyes even more.

Shane felt his heart sinking even lower as we watched her cry. He reached out to touch her, but Mitchie moved away, scared of his touch. Instead of stopping, Shane placed both his hands on Mitchie's shoulders and turned her so that she faced him.

"I'm not dating Camilla, Mitchie. I only love you." He whispered. Shane felt no guilt about lying. He wanted Mitchie, he needed his love back. He would do anything for it. Mitchie on the other hand was beginning to sob uncontrollably again. She shook her head no and covered her face.

"You're just going to break my heart all over again, Shane! That's what you always do!" Mitchie screamed. She quickly got into her car and drove away, leaving Shane standing in the middle of the parking lot, brokenhearted all over again.

Mitchie drove hurriedly through the streets. She didn't know what direction she was going, but she knew that she just had to go away. She needed to space herself from Shane, to breathe. Mitchie wiped her tears as she turned onto a familiar road. She stopped in front of a house and parked her car. She reapplied her makeup lightly, trying to look a bit presentable. (Or like she didn't just have a crying fest.)

Mitchie took a deep breath and knocked on the door. Tracy opened the door and gave her older sister an odd look. Mitchie wasn't one to visit her family randomly. "Are you okay? You look totally bummed." Tracy commented – a little too inconsiderately. Mitchie's lip began to quiver and her eyes began to water again. Tracy frowned and instantly hugged her sister. Mitchie embraced Tracy back, crying into her shoulder. "What happened?" she whispered.

"H-he's b-back." Mitchie wailed. "He w-won't leave m-me a-alone!" Tracy lowered her eyebrows, wondering who the heck Mitchie was talking about. But she said nothing, knowing that the slightest things could upset her sister right now. Instead she just continued to hug her and comfort her in the best ways possible, like a good sister would. Though, Tracy did have a feeling of who Mitchie was crying over.

"He has no right to push himself back into my life! Does he have any idea how badly he hurt me?!" she screamed in between her tears. Tracy sighed. Oh, she _definitely _knew who her sister was wailing about. "And here he is, showering me with gifts like he's bribing me to take him back! He's pretending to act sweet with me and all this crap! Then he asks to be friends?! What is wrong with him?! Does he have any idea how much he's twisting and pulling my heart?!"

"What is going on here?" Connie Torres asked. "Oh, Mitchie sweetie, what's wrong?" she asked worriedly as she stared at her bawling daughter. Mitchie gripped tighter onto Tracy, not wanting to show her face to her mother. Connie stared at Tracy with a confused yet concerned look on her face. "What's wrong with her?" she mouthed to her.

"Shane," Tracy mouthed back, a cheerless look etched onto her face.

Connie's eyes darkened at the sound of that name. She frowned and folded her arms across her chest, anger visible in her eyes. "Michelle, don't tell me that you're seriously crying over that…that _boy_. It's been three long years! I thought you were over him." She said, her voice sounding harsh instead of caring. Mitchie blinked her eyes shut. She knew that Connie's motherly love was gone and was replaced with wrath.

She turned to fully face her mother and attempted to give her a confident look but failed. Connie almost pulled Mitchie into her arms. Mitchie looked like she's been crying for years. Her eyes were red and puffy, her hair was tangled in every place possible, and even her light makeup was smudging. This wasn't her strong and autonomous daughter. This wasn't the girl she raised. Connie slightly clenched her fists. She found it unbelievable how a person like Shane Gray could destroy her daughter's demeanor in _seconds_.

"I – I am over him, Mom. It's just that he came back into my life-" Mitchie stuttered. Connie held her hand up to stop her.

"You're telling me that you're crying over a boy who _you _left? The boy that made you leave the thing you loved to do! Michelle, this boy isn't worth crying over!" Connie said, her voice a mixture of astonishment and fury. Mitchie felt like her body was shaking as more tears rushed down her eyes. She felt so susceptible. She has never felt this way about anything or anyone before. But now, it's like the smallest things could send her crying her eyes out for hours.

"Mom, you don't understand. He's confusing my heart! He's treating me like I'm some sort of game that he could play or this toy that he could manipulate! He's sending my heart in one direction then the other at the same time! You just don't understand what he's doing to me, Mom!"

"Oh, what I don't understand is why you left your singing career three years ago. You could have just left the _boy _not your _life_! Michelle, because of that Shane Gray, you turned down everything you've worked your life for! When you found out that he cheated on you, you made such a big deal out of it! You wanted to disappear from the face of the Earth! Michelle, he was _just_ some stupid boy! You didn't have to ruin your whole life for him!" Connie scolded.

And that's how Connie turned this conversation. She could care less if Shane was proposing to Mitchie behind her back right now. The sole reason why she's mad is because Mitchie turned away from singing, from music, the thing she knew that her daughter loved completely. Why she hated Shane? Well, he was the reason why Mitchie did it in the first place. He was the cause of Mitchie turning her back on music, why she decided to go away and ruin her whole life.

Mitchie felt her knees buckling as her mother's words ran through her head. She trembled over to the couch and buried her face into the cushion. Tear stains immediately formed against the fabric of the couch, marking them forever. Tracy sent a cold glare towards her mother before sitting down besides her sister, rubbing her arms thoughtfully. Connie sighed and rubbed her temples, closing her eyes exhaustedly.

"You were meant to be a singer, Mitchie, not a worker at Barney's Burgers." She said before excusing herself into the kitchen.

"It was a mistake to come here. I'm going to go home." Mitchie whispered over to Tracy while trying to avoid eye contact with her. She was embarrassed of how much she cried. Mitchie slowly stood up, her body feeling oddly feeble. But that wasn't much of a surprise since today she was feeling like the smallest person ever.

"I don't think you should drive. You're in an emotional state. Why don't I drive you home instead?" Tracy offered in the kindest way possible, following her older sister through the door. Mitchie shrugged and handed Tracy the keys. Right now, she could care less if her little sister was about to drive in her only car while she's still getting her learners permit.

"Just take me home." She mumbled, not giving a care to the world. Tracy frowned and led Mitchie to the car. She awkwardly started the car and drove slowly and safely towards her older sister's house, trying not to crash into anything.

Mitchie barely noticed the agonizingly slow speed of the car. She just stared at the view behind the glass, picturing all the animated life around her fading into black and white. The world never seemed so dull to her until now. For the past three years, Mitchie was always living in one quick motion, trying to get through her life without any regret – or happiness for the matter. She didn't have enough will to stop and smell the flowers. But now as she sat in her car, it was like life was in slow motion and realization was hitting her.

Shane. Shane. Shane. Shane. Shane.

No matter how much she hated him, how much he broke her heart, or how miserable she felt, Mitchie needed Shane. Shane was the color to her world, the sound to her music, the love of her heart. She needed Shane so much that she hated it; it made her want to cry. Mitchie thought that she was a tough woman who didn't need a man to help her stand up. But no, she needed Shane to not only help her stand up but to walk down the lane that was her life.

"We're here." Tracy announced quietly as she parked Mitchie's car carefully into the driveway. Mitchie didn't even hear Tracy's voice. The sound of Tracy closing the door next to her was what threw Mitchie off from her thoughts. Mitchie stepped out of the car and trudged next to her sister into the house.

"If you need anything, just call me okay?" Tracy unlocked the house and handed Mitchie the keys. "Call me." She said again before quickly hugging Mitchie and walking back home. Mitchie frowned once she realized that her little sister had to walk all the way back home. She sighed and closed her eyes, knowing that stubborn Tracy wouldn't let her take her back home since it would be a waste of time and gas.

Mitchie closed the door behind her and fell onto the couch, grasping the pillows that lay on top of it. She closed her eyes, trying to tell herself that she didn't need Shane. She lied to herself, but couldn't believe. Mitchie reopened her eyes, which were still watery. She glanced at the gifts that silently stood against the couch in front of her. The flowers were still lively while the other gifts looked untouched.

Mitchie let out a shaky breath. She turned to face the inside of the couch and hid her face in it. That was what she was good at doing anyways. Hiding herself from the world, avoiding the light, being invisible. Always has, always will be.

* * *

"You know what; it's not even worth it. She's given me enough hints that she doesn't want me back in her life, not even as friends. I think she's fully done with me, guys." Shane said as he packed his stuff into his suitcase. Nate sighed disappointedly while Jason was absolutely quiet.

"_Well you tried. That counts for something I guess. And you did everything that you could. Maybe you guys really just weren't meant to be together…_" but once those last words left through Nate's mouth, he immediately regretted it. The whole damn world knew that Shane Gray and Mitchie Torres were meant to be together. God practically engraved it onto stone. Of course Nate knew that Shane and Mitchie were meant to be, Jason knew it, Shane knew it, the fans thought it, _the whole word_ knew it.

"You really think that we're not meant to be?" Shane asked, trying to fight the tears that were beginning to come back to his eyes.

"_I…I don't know._" Nate said, trying not upset his band mate. Shane heard a beep on his phone. He pulled it from his ear and glanced at the caller ID on the screen. He stared at it, confused, as he read the unknown number.

"Hey, I got another call. I'll just talk to you guys later. I'm going to get a plane ticket to LA tonight." Shane said. He heard Nate sigh again.

"_Alright, dude. See you soon_." He muttered into the phone.

"_Bye, Shane,_" Jason said quietly. Then the line went dead.

Shane turned to the other call. "Hello?" he said, sitting down on the bed. The person on the other line was silent for a moment. Shane rolled his eyes, thinking that this was either some stalking fan that somehow got hold of his phone number or just another annoying prank call. "Hello? Anyone there?" he asked, venom reaching back into his voice.

"_Shane?_" Shane blinked, puzzled He has heard that voice before. He _knows _this voice.

"Tracy, is that you?" he asked incredulously.

"_Uh-huh, yeah, I saved your number from Mitchie's cell phone before she erased_-" But Tracy immediately stopped her sentence. Shane felt a stab in the middle of his chest. "_Anyways, I just wanted to tell you something…I think that you have the right to know this._" Shane raised an eyebrow. If Tracy Torres had to actually call him for something, it must be important.

"Okay, shoot," he said.

"_Mitchie is…not herself_." Shane felt a harsher twinge hit him. "_She came barging into my house, crying hysterically. Then my mom made it worse_." Shane frowned. Remembering the sight of Mitchie crying wildly at the parking lot still managed to make him feel like shit. "_She needs you, Shane. She really needs you._" Shane scoffed, trying to hide the hurt that he was feeling inside.

"She doesn't need me, Trace. She doesn't even want me. I know you're a good kid and all, but you can't help everybody." He said. Right when he was about to hang up, Tracy began to speak up again, her voice desperate, pleading, sweet and innocently irresistible.

"_Shane, please, Mitchie needs you so much. She may not see it, but I know that she needs you. Shane, she's probably locked up in her house, still crying her eyes out. Whatever you did to make her cry like that, show her that you didn't mean to, that you could fix it. I can't stand knowing that my sister is miserable. I know that you're the only one who could make her happy_."

"Tracy, I'm the only one who could make her depressed. I'm sorry, but I can't help you there." Tracy was silent for a while.

"_Jerk_," she muttered before hanging up. Shane was shocked. He shut his phone and stared down at his shoes. _Jerk_. Was he really a jerk for turning down a sixteen year old's plea of help? He sighed and glared down at the floor. He is a jerk, a heartless, self-centered jerk.

Shane abruptly stood up and walked out of his suite. He was going to prove to the world and to Tracy that Shane Gray is no longer a jerk.

Shane stepped into his car and drove hurriedly over to Mitchie's house. He turned onto each road, perfectly memorizing the direction to her house. In no time, Shane stopped in front of the curb to see Mitchie's car parked in the driveway. He stared at the simple house, and a wave of devastation hit him. He could tell that Mitchie was crying inside. He could feel it.

Shane hastily walked up to the front door and turned it slightly. It was unlocked. His eyes saddened as he thought that Mitchie was too down to even lock the front door. But Shane took this to his advantage and opened the door slowly. His insides ached as he saw Mitchie sobbing into a pillow. She barely even heard him come in.

"Mitchie…" Shane whispered. He closed the door and sat next to her on the couch. He rubbed her back, hating to see her like this. It was unbearable. "Mitchie, I'm so, so sorry." He whispered.

It's his fault. All of it was his fault.

Mitchie didn't even have to look up to know whose voice that belonged to. His voice was like imprinted into her brain, a permanent mark that rang through her ears. Mitchie removed her face from the cushion and stared out into the open. She tried to lessen her tears and quiet down her sobs as Shane stared at her. To cry in general was embarrassing, but to cry in front of Shane _again_ was absolutely mortifying.

Shane pushed her loose bangs away from her eyes. Mitchie finally looked at him as he touched her. She shivered slightly and tried not to feel uncomfortable. "I'm sorry…I would never want to hurt you like that, like _this_…I would do anything so you could never cry again…" Shane whispered.

_You need him. You need him. You need him. _A voice whispered into Mitchie's ear. Maybe it was her conscience, or maybe God sent down an angel to tell her this. Either way, Mitchie couldn't deny it any longer. She needed Shane whether she liked it or not.

Without thinking, Mitchie jumped into Shane's arms, releasing the very last amount of misery that she would ever feel again. From this day on, she wasn't going to shed another tear ever again. Her armor was back around her, ready to protect her.

Shane wrapped his arms around Mitchie's body tightly, pulling her close to him. He kissed the top of her head lightly and closed his eyes. He felt like his broken life was complete again. He hasn't felt this way since that summer when he had to go to Camp Rock for his outrageous behavior. It was like meeting Mitchie at that camp all over again. That missing piece was back in its place.

Mitchie looked up at Shane, a small smile on her lips. "I…I still…love –" Mitchie silenced herself before she could go on. Shane felt a bit disheartened as she stopped her sentence, but he forgot about it once Mitchie bit her lip and wrapped her arms around his neck, embracing him even tighter. "Thank you. Thank you so much." She whispered almost inaudibly into his ear. Shane smiled and rubbed Mitchie's sides lightly.

"No, thank _you _for forgiving me…you forgive me right?" he asked heartily. Mitchie giggled silently and nodded her head. Shane smiled and softened her hair out. "Then thank you." He said, kissing her forehead.

"I missed you." She admitted as she ran her fingers softly through Shane's raven hair. (Shane didn't even complain or wince that someone was touching his hair.) Honestly, Mitchie didn't think that she missed Shane until now. Shane closed his eyes, relaxed, and tilted his head, his cheek meeting Mitchie's hand.

"I _really_ missed you." He said. Shane took both of Mitchie's hands and kissed her forehead, her nose, and then her lips. Mitchie shook a little. She hasn't kissed anyone in the lips…three years. It was so unfamiliar to her, it almost felt new. Shane leaned in again, ready to kiss her, but Mitchie stopped him.

"I'm sorry, but I…"

"Too fast?" Shane asked. Mitchie bit her lip and nodded her head. Shane laughed and wrapped his arms around Mitchie's waist. "Okay then, no kissing," he said. Mitchie chuckled and hugged Shane. "But I think I could live with this." He sighed, hugging her back.


	6. Phone Call

**A/N: Well thank you guys so much for your really really sweet reviews! You have no idea how much they made me happy! Big thanks to: **TeamSwitzerlandROX, ride2night, bintou10, helenaxgal, **and **ihatetosayitoldyouso** for being extremely nice! Here's a fluffy-ish chapter with a very very small bit of drama. There's only going to be one or two more light chapters so enjoy while you can :)**

6. Phone Call

Mitchie yawned loudly and stretched her arms. She rubbed her eyes, trying to wake herself up. She looked around her surroundings, wondering where she was or how she fell asleep. A smile crossed her lips as she stared down at Shane whom was snoring gently underneath her. Apparently, the two fell asleep on the couch (fully clothed of course). Mitchie couldn't help but smile as Shane slept peacefully. He looked gorgeous, like an angel sent from above. But he wasn't just an ordinary angel, he was her guardian angel.

"Shane," Mitchie whispered gently into his ear. Shane stirred a little and shifted his body, facing the opposite direction. Mitchie giggled and ran her fingers through his hair. "Shane, wake up. It's almost night time." She said, glancing out the window. Shane yawned and fluttered his eyes open. He pretended to stretch but only to pull Mitchie closer towards him. Mitchie giggled again and traced Shane's jaw with her fingertip. "Wake up, popstar." She whispered. Shane never thought that he would be so happy to hear someone call him that.

"Good morning, Mitchie." He whispered, smirking at her. Mitchie raised an eyebrow and gave Shane an amused smile.

"Morning? Morning was hours ago." She laughed.

"Well that means it's time for dinner." He said, sitting straight up. Mitchie shifted so that she was sitting in Shane's lap. "And I know exactly what I want to eat." He said, wiggling his eyebrows at her. Mitchie laughed and playfully smacked his arm. "For the record, I did mean food. I swear." He smirked. Mitchie rolled her eyes mischievously and hopped off of his lap.

"Okay, what do you want for dinner? I'll cook you anything but-"

"Burgers," Shane finished for her. Mitchie grinned at him and led the way into the kitchen. Before she touched the fridge, she froze. Mitchie gasped and widened her eyes. Shane stared at her, alarmed. "What? What's wrong?" he asked worriedly.

"Oh God, I ditched work without clocking out or giving Victoria a reason! I am _so _fired! Oh God, oh God," she panicked. Shane placed his hands on Mitchie's shoulders and ordered her to take deep breaths, trying to calm her. He breathed along with her, telling her to stop worrying.

"It'll be fine. I'll talk to Victoria, and she'll understand why you had to go." Shane promised, rubbing Mitchie's arms gently up and down to help soothe her. Mitchie nodded and closed her eyes, trying to relax. She had to believe in Shane. He was Shane freaking Gray, the guy who owns millions and millions of cold hard cash. Of course Victoria would forgive Mitchie and let her keep her job.

"So what do you want to eat?" Shane asked, trying to change the subject. He pressed his forehead against Mitchie's and smiled at her. "And you don't have to cook for me. I'll actually cook for _you_ this time." He teasingly tempted. Mitchie's worried face began to redden. She stifled a smile and looked down, her face growing hotter and hotter by the second. "So what does my Mitchie baby want to eat?" Shane mocked in her ear.

"Hmm, what can Shane Gray cook for me? I didn't think that popstars are capable of holding a pan." Mitchie replied smoothly with an eyebrow raised.

"Don't tell me that you forgot that you were once a popstar too." Shane smirked as he wrapped his arms around Mitchie's waist and gently pinned her against the kitchen counter.

"Oh, touché," Mitchie giggled, slipping away from Shane's grip. She turned back to the fridge with Shane hovering over her. "I have leftover chicken, leftover pasta, and leftover sushi. What do you want?" Mitchie brightly smiled at him. Shane made a disgusted face and closed the fridge.

"Why don't I take you out to eat instead? There has to be a restaurant with edible food around here." Shane said. Mitchie rolled her eyes and reopened the fridge, taking the chicken out. "Seriously, I don't understand how you can live like this. How can you live without the caviars, the soufflés, or the lobsters?" Shane whined as Mitchie divided the chicken and placed the two pieces on two fresh new plates before she began to reheat it.

"Don't be a whiny popstar baby, Shane. You'll survive by eating chicken. You've eaten chicken before, haven't you? Plus, we can't go out to dinner. What if somebody catches us? You don't want the press on your tail during your vacation, and I don't want them knowing where I live." Mitchie said, cupping Shane's cheeks. Shane sighed and smiled down at her.

"Fine, I'll eat _that _for you." He said. Mitchie smiled and ruffled his hair before grabbing more plates. Shane made a face and fixed his hair. "And I'll forgive you for touching my hair – but only because I love you." He mused. Mitchie snorted and handed Shane his plate. As Shane could reach up and take it, Mitchie pulled back with a smirk on her face.

"What do you say?" she jokingly asked. Shane rolled his eyes. "Don't tell me that Mr. Cookie-Cutter-Popstar forgot his manners! And I spent so much time and so many years making sure that you remembered." Mitchie teased.

"Thank you?" Shane asked. Mitchie smirked and handed him his plate. Shane stared at it in repulsion. "Oh God, I don't think I could eat this. It smells so old, baby." He complained, plugging his nose. Mitchie sighed, annoyed, and grabbed the ketchup bottle. In seconds she began to drown the poor chicken in a pool of ketchup. Shane stared up at her, shocked.

"Smells new enough?" she asked innocently with an angelic smile on her face. Shane laughed, amused, and held his hands up in defeat.

"Okay, I'll stop complaining. But really, Mitchie, this stuff is-" Mitchie squirted ketchup onto Shane's shirt before he could finish his complaint. Shane's jaw dropped as he stared at his newly ruined shirt. His designer shirt was destroyed, marred, a ketchup mark staining it forever. "Oh my God. You did _not_." He stared at her, ready for his playful vengeance.

"Well you wouldn't shut up!" Mitchie squeaked, jumping out of the kitchen in fright. She ran into the living room while the ketchup bottle was held tightly in her grip. Shane ran full speed, easily catching up behind her. He was hot on her trail, close to grabbing her by the waist.

"Oh, you better run!" he laughed. Mitchie quickly turned around and sprayed more ketchup on Shane, but instead it accidentally landed on his hair. Mitchie froze and gasped, clasping her hand onto her mouth to stop her from laughing. Shane just stood there, his eyes wide. He patted his hair and felt the red ooze tangle within his perfect raven locks. "You…you _didn't_." He threatened. He started walking dangerously closer towards her, a devious smile on his lips. "You're definitely getting it." He whispered.

"Shane-" Shane grabbed Mitchie's waist and carried her over his shoulder. "Shane, stop, put me down!" she squealed. Shane spun Mitchie around in circles while Mitchie kicked her feet and squirmed uncomfortably in Shane's hold. "_Shane!_" she laughed as he twirled her around even faster.

Shane softly pressed her against the couch, his hands on her waist to keep her from moving away. Mitchie breathed heavily, trying to catch her breath. But Shane didn't give her a chance when he started to tickle her. Mitchie's face began to flush as she felt like she couldn't breathe. She tried to push Shane off, mentally telling him that she's had enough.

"Mercy!" Mitchie breathed out.

"How about a kiss to make me stop?" Shane bargained. Mitchie shook her head no at first. "Okay, if you say so." Shane began to attack her with more tickles, making it almost impossible for Mitchie to breathe. Mitchie took in a deep breath and reluctantly nodded her head, surrendering. Shane stopped and laid his hands on her hips. He leaned in until their lips were just lingering against each other. "Good, I'm waiting." He whispered, smirking.

Mitchie sighed and rolled her eyes. She took in a deep breath and gently pecked his lips. Once Mitchie pulled away, Shane leaned in for another kiss. He hungrily moved his lips against hers as his hands inched under her shirt. Mitchie's eyes widened as he did so, but she soon relaxed into the kiss as her eyes slowly closed. But she knew that they couldn't do this – not now at least. Mitchie unwillingly pulled away, softening Shane's hair. "Shane," she whispered. Shane blinked at her, flustered.

"I'm sorry. I – I just had to." He stuttered. Mitchie smiled and kissed the tip of his nose.

"Let's go eat." She smiled. Shane cleared his throat, knowing that his face was imitating the shade of deep red.

He followed Mitchie back into the kitchen for them to eat their chicken. Shane stared at his for a long moment before bringing the meat to his mouth. He shut his eyes tight, trying not to complain – or puke – about the food. He let it stay in his mouth for a while before he scolded himself to chew and swallow. His pain was perfectly etched onto his face as the taste of one day old chicken marked his tongue. Mitchie simply laughed at his antics while she ate in peace, wondering how spoiled Shane is these days.

"You do know that I need a shirt now?" Shane said as he began to lift his shirt up. "When we're done we have to go back to the hotel to get my stuff. You're going to get a new roommate." He winked as he tossed his shirt aimlessly behind his back. Mitchie raised her eyebrows, trying not to gape as his well-toned chest that was flawlessly outlined by his beater. She lowered her eyes, forcing herself to stare at her plate instead. Shane poked his chicken, oblivious to Mitchie's staring. "Yeah, and I'm going to order us something at the restaurant there." He announced, sending another smirk off to her.

* * *

Once Shane retrieved all of his belongings (along with five star restaurant meals) the two headed back to Mitchie's house. Mitchie led Shane upstairs to the guestroom. "This will be your room for the meantime." She said. Shane blinked at the mocha walls, the feathery queen-sized bed, and the empty drawers to the side. It was so _plain_, definitely not rockstar material.

"Are you sure you don't want me to sleep with you in your bed?" Shane smirked deviously. Mitchie rolled her eyes. She grabbed a pillow and smacked Shane with all of her force. Shane stumbled over and laughed. He snatched the pillow from Mitchie's hands before she could hit him even harder. "Okay, okay, I get it." He said. Mitchie grinned in satisfaction, and Shane threw the pillow back onto the bed.

"You need to change and take a shower, Mr. Popstar. You smell like chicken and ketchup." Mitchie teased. She took a shirt from one of Shane's suitcases and handed it over to him. "The bathroom's in the end of the hall." She pointed out. Shane nodded and placed a sweet kiss on top of Mitchie's head. Mitchie smiled bashfully at him before making her way downstairs back to the kitchen.

Shane slipped his beater off and pulled turned the shower on. He pulled his shoes and socks off before tugging his skinny jeans off. _Ring_. Shane grabbed his cell phone quickly from the back pocket of his jeans and checked the caller ID. _Nate_. His eyes widened once he remembered that he was supposed to get a plane ticket back to LA tonight. Shane immediately answered his phone without any hesitation.

"Hello, Nate," he said in the happiest voice any person has ever heard him. There was silence at the end of the line at first. For a second, Shane thought that Nate hung up on him.

"_Are you high?"_ Nate asked worriedly. Shane laughed.

"No, I'm just so happy! You won't believe what happened to me!" Shane said. More silence.

"_Jason, I think Shane is high."_ Nate said to the background.

There was a knock on the door. Mitchie poked her head through. "Oh, sorry, you really need to learn to lock the door, Shane." She laughed. Shane beckoned her in, signaling her that it was fine. Mitchie cleared her throat and walked in, trying not to gawk at the half-naked Shane Gray that was standing in front of her.

"Guys, here, talk to Mitchie." Shane said.

"_Mitchie?!"_ Nate and Jason exclaimed.

"Oh my God, is that Nate and Jason?" she asked excitedly. Shane nodded. Mitchie felt her entire face light up. Jason and Nate were like her older brothers, her partners in crime. They were a big part of her life, and when Mitchie 'disappeared', Mitchie felt so lost without her brothers. Shane handed her the phone as he began to pull his boxers down. Mitchie turned away to face the opposite direction as him and pressed the phone against her ear. "Nate, Jason?" she asked.

"_Mitchie!"_ the two men cheered. Shane stepped into the shower and pulled the curtains. Mitchie exited the bathroom and smiled into the phone. It was like having a family reunion with her brothers.

"_Wow, Mitchie, it's been way too long. How're ya?"_ Nate asked.

"Well I'm doing really good…especially now. How about you guys? Oh, by the way, your concert was amazing. I don't think I ever got the chance to tell you that since Tracey and I were in a…hurry." She blushed. Nate chuckled.

"_Thanks, I'm glad that you enjoyed it. You actually did enjoy it right? You're not just saying that to make me feel better?" _

"Of course I loved it, Nate." Mitchie laughed. "I mean, the news did call it the best concert Connect 3 has ever played in the longest time." Nate laughed along side with her.

"_Mitchie, I missed you!" _Jason interrupted into the phone.

"I missed you too, Jason!" Mitchie gushed. "How's my birdhouse? Did you ever get to finish it?"

"_Pfft, duh, like two and a half years ago. Yeah, it's like a condo, just bird version. There's a hot tub in it and everything!" _Jason joked. Mitchie laughed and shook her head. It was the same Nate and the same Jason. She was glad to hear that her two "brothers" haven't changed a bit.

Minutes later, the phone was taken away from Mitchie's ear. She jumped to see a wet Shane Gray with a loose towel wrapped around his waist, standing besides her. "Hey, guys, stop stealing Mitchie away from me. Aren't you guys going to China anyways?" Shane asked. Mitchie couldn't hear what the two were saying on the other line, but she assumed that it was something hilarious since Shane looked like he was on the verge of uncontrollable laughter. "Okay, whatever, I'll see you at the end of this month, guys." He laughed before hanging up.

"Hey, I didn't get to say goodbye." Mitchie pouted. Shane placed a chaste kiss on her lips.

"Well too bad," he smirked.

"Jerk!" Mitchie giggled.

Shane winked at her and walked over to his room. He dried himself off before dressing into his sweats and a navy beater. He was about to walk through the door and join Mitchie back into dinner, when his cell phone began to ring again. He stared down at the screen where the name of the caller taunted him unmercifully. Shane gulped, half wanting to throw the phone out the window, half wanting to answer it.

"Hello?" he almost squeaked into the phone.

"_Shane, baby, where have you been? I've called you dozens of times and you didn't pick up any of my calls. I've been so worried about you. I even had to go to Nate's house and ask him why you weren't answering me." _The sound of Camille's seductive voice rang through Shane's ears. He shuddered and placed a hand against the wall to steady him.

"Sorry, I was really busy." Shane mumbled. He could tell that Camille didn't buy it. But knowing his actress of a girlfriend, she'll pretend that she didn't care.

"_Aw, is my rockstar having too fun? Well not too much fun, baby, we don't want you in sticky situations. I just wanted to call and see how you're doing. Nate told me not to worry about you since you're probably really busy having fun in Dallas. Ugh, it's like that guy has a GPS on you. He has to know everything you're doing or he'll get worried. No wonder that kid doesn't have a girlfriend. He's like obsessed with you." _Shane rolled his eyes. He wanted to shoot something out and defend his friend, but he knew that it would cause even more trouble if he even tried to stand up for Nate.

"So did you want to tell me something important or are you just checking up on me like Nate always does, _sweetie_?" Shane asked with a coat of fake sugariness around his voice. Camille could clearly hear the aggravation in his voice, and Shane could easily sense the embarrassment on hers. A clever smirk formed on his lips as he relaxed his tense body and sat down on the bed. He had the upper hand for a moment.

"_No, I just wanted to see how you're doing. Is that too bad for a girlfriend to know how her boyfriend is doing?" _Camille asked. Shane resisted the temptation to just hang up on her. He hated it when she pretended to be the damsel in distress, when she turned every situation around to make it seem like it was his fault to begin with. But Shane knew that he needed to end things with her as soon as possible. Why not now? They're finally talking on the phone and Shane just felt like his ego boosted up ten levels higher. He could do this. He can end things with her. He _needs _to end things with her.

"Listen, we need to talk about some things through, Camille." Shane said, his voice sounding as sympathetic and sweet as possible. "I know that we had a really good relationship and I had fun but-"

"_So, Shane, how's Dallas? Did you see any cowboys?" _Camille interrupted. Shane could hear the desperation and the worry in her voice. She knows that the worse is coming. Shane sighed, imagining how hard this is going to be for her. Camille _loves _him for God's sake. The unwanted guilt began to build up against his chest.

"I didn't see any cowboys, Camille. And I really need to tell you something important."

"_You didn't see any cowboys? How about horses? Or even those goddamn birds!" _Shane frowned. He knew that she was just making this harder than it already is. She's urgently changing the subject, going off topic, trying to change his mind. Shane could feel it and it's making him feel guilty. _"I love you, you know that right? I love you, I love you, I love you." _Shane let out a deep breath.

"Yeah, I know." He whispered. "I'll see you in the end of this month, Camille."

"Bye, Shane, I love you." This time, those words struck Shane like a knife. He ended the call and placed his phone on top of the pillow next to him.

The door opened and revealed Mitchie, holding the plate of "edible" food Shane ordered from the hotel. "Hey, popstar, aren't you hungry?" she asked, handing him the plate. Shane glanced at his cell phone, feeling as if he just lost his appetite. But he faked a smile and took the plate from Mitchie and ate it in pieces. Mitchie didn't seem to notice and lay right besides him on the bed.

"How about you?" Shane asked, offering her a small amount of his food. Mitchie shook her head.

"It's okay, the chicken was good enough for me." She said, smiling cheerily up at him. Shane shrugged and brought more food up to his mouth.

"Mitchie…" he started. Shane took a deep breath, telling himself to finish. "You know that I love you, right?" At first, Mitchie was blushing madly. Shane fought the urge to smirk as he watched her bite her lip, the look of flattery expressed onto her face. That small smile on her face was so shy yet so giddy.

"Yeah I do, Shane." She finally answered back. Shane placed the plate of food across the bed and wrapped his arm around Mitchie's stomach, pulling her closer. Mitchie almost squealed as he did so. For three years, three long years, a man has never touched her like the way Shane has done today. It felt so different to Mitchie, so untried, as if she was like a foreigner in Shane Gray's world.

"So do you love me?" Shane whispered as his face leaned in closer. Mitchie felt her body tingling as Shane's face neared her. She almost shook in excitement. At first, Mitchie didn't know how to respond. She has hated him with a blazing passion that could consume the world. She's hated him so much that it almost withered all of her love of him away. _Almost_. But in reality, Mitchie felt just the same way Shane has been feeling: heartbroken and yearn. She still hasn't lost the love for him in her heart. Sure, her mind has told her multiple times to get over him, but really, Mitchie couldn't.

"Yeah I do, Shane." She spoke up. Shane smiled and placed his lips against hers. As they kissed, Shane didn't know what he was feeling. A side of him was exploding in pure happiness while another side was feeling guilt wrapping around him. Shane tried to let his joy overtake the guilt as he hugged Mitchie, deepening their kiss.

He needed to end things with Camille. Or else.


	7. Smitchie

**A/N: Well I felt pretty bad for not updating for a couple of weeks so I thought that I owed it to you guys! Anyways this is like a filler-ish type sorta kinda chapter. lol. It's pretty short I must say so sorry about that. But the fluff ends here. Sorry. I also apologize for grammar or spelling errors. Ugh. I was too lazy to carefully read it over so if I missed anything just tell me.  
**

7. Smitchie

The bright sunrays of Texas's welcoming skies woke Mitchie up the next morning. She blinked to see that her alarm clock that was usually set to 6:00 AM was turned off and there was a small table of freshly cooked pancakes sitting at the foot of her bed. Mitchie sat straight up in amazement, not knowing if she should smile or be confused. She opened her mouth as if to question herself, but she closed it and decided on smiling once she realized the answer to all of this. _Shane_.

"Good morning, baby," Shane greeted as he walked into the room carrying his own plate of breakfast. "You're a really deep sleeper. I nearly tripped over all of your girly junk this morning when I turned your alarm clock off. Luckily you didn't move an inch." He said, picking up a random shirt that was lying on the floor and threw it behind his back. Mitchie's eyes widened, and she almost stopped breathing.

"You turned me alarm clock off?! Why?! Oh God, I'm going to be late for work! Victoria is going to brutally murder me!" Mitchie said frantically. She immediately hopped off of bed and raced to her bathroom. But a pair of strong and muscular arms wrapped around her waist before she could touch the handle.

"Relax, Mitchie, I called Victoria this morning and told her that you were going to take the day off. Oh and I explained about yesterday and begged her not to fire you. And she totally understood—after I gave her a couple grand." Mitchie slowed down and turned to face Shane. She gave him a small smile and cupped his cheeks.

"You really didn't need to…" she said. But in the inside, she was screaming _thank you_ over and over again.

"But I wanted to. Hey, my vacation only lasts for a month, and I want to spend every moment with you." Shane said as he pulled Mitchie into a suffocating hug. Mitchie giggled and kissed his cheek, embracing her arms around his shoulders tightly. "And I want to have you all to myself." He muffled greedily into her neck. Mitchie laughed as he lightly kissed her neck.

"Well Shane Gray is used to getting what he wants." Mitchie teased. Before Shane could reply with something witty, Mitchie pulled away and smirked. "Too bad things are going to change." She winked. Shane's mouth gaped open as he watched Mitchie skip merrily back into bed, taking a bite of the food that lay in front of her. He smirked, impressed.

"That was harsh." He commented. Shane sat next to Mitchie in bed, taking his plate and eating his pancakes. "Kind if hot though, if I say so myself." He smirked, causing Mitchie to turn red.

"Okay, okay, enough with all of this. You made me stay home from work today, so what are we going to do? You know me, Shane. I need to be doing _something _or I'll explode." She said, leaning her head down so she was lying on his chest. She ran her fingers lightly against the palm of Shane's hand as Shane fed her a bite of pancakes while he thought about what they should do.

"Well we could go out." Mitchie looked up at him weirdly. Shane Gray—going out? Well that's a way to _definitely_ bring attention. Shane could tell from the look in Mitchie's eyes that disapproved. "Come on, I know you want to go out, and I know that I _really_ do. Who cares if I'm Shane Gray? I want to take my girlfriend out on a date." Mitchie suppressed a smile as her cheeks reddened again. She just loved hearing him call her that; girlfriend.

"What if people sees us together, Shane? I spent years trying to blend in and make people forget about me. Once they see us together, I'm dead sure that they'll remember." Mitchie said, frowning slightly. "Then since there are no paparazzi around, innocent people with camera phones will attack us and put pictures of us onto the internet." She groaned, rubbing her forehead.

"Well you can't blame them. After all, we are: Smitchie—America's Sweetest Couple." Shane smirked. Mitchie laughed and smacked his arm. She hasn't heard their nickname in what seemed like an eternity. It sounded like an addicting phrase as it passed through her ears. She just wanted to hear it over and over again.

"Smitchie?" she giggled, shaking her head. It tasted even better as it rolled off her tongue, like sweet candy fresh from the shop.

Shane nodded. He still had his signature smirk on his lips as he stared, amused, at his girlfriend. "Smitchie," he said as if he was proud of the stupid couple name the media gave them.

"Well then, I have to get ready if any 'Smitchie' is going to happen today." Mitchie winked, finally approving of Shane's wishes. She shooed Shane out of her room so both of them could get ready for their first date in three years.

An hour later, the two walked out hand-in-hand down the street. (It would have taken quicker, but Shane being the rockstar diva he is took forever primping himself.) Mitchie told Shane that she wouldn't get out of the house unless they were properly disguised so Shane ended up wearing a cap (which he won't take off now since it will give him hat hair) and his usual white rimmed shades while Mitchie wore aviator sunglasses and a black hat.

"We look really weird wearing sunglasses and hats in the middle of fall." Shane said as they turned towards the neighborhood park. People all around merely glanced at them before continuing on, not curious whatsoever.

"Well at least they don't recognize us. That's what matters." Mitchie replied. Shane led her down the grassy fields where they couldn't possibly be seen by anybody. "Where are we going, Shane?" Mitchie giggled.

"Shhh, it's a surprise." Shane whispered. Mitchie smiled up at him, amused to his playful secretive behavior. They walked down along the grass field a little longer until they reached the center. Shane smirked childishly at Mitchie while Mitchie kept on giggling, wondering what Shane had planned for her.

"Shane, what are you—" Shane cut her off by gently tackling her onto the ground and attacking her with sweet kisses. "Ha-ha, Shane!" Mitchie squealed as her boyfriend eagerly trailed kisses down her neck. With all her strength, she flipped them over so that she was on top. Shane smiled up at her as she placed a chaste kiss on his lips. "You are so unpredictable." She whispered.

"And so amazingly hot," Shane added. Mitchie laughed and shook her head. She felt like she was in heaven, one in her fantasies, a dream. Shane brought Mitchie an unbelievable amount of happiness, that Mitchie couldn't even process it all in her mind. She was too caught up in the whirlwind of happiness that she didn't even notice the group of teenagers who just happened to pass by. A group of teenagers who could spot Shane Gray easily in a crowd of people and instantly noticed Mitchie Torres, the singer that vanished. A group of teenagers who were now taking multiple pictures of Mitchie and Shane, ready to sell them off to People Magazine and E!

* * *

"So we have now returned home from a very, _very _nice walk." Shane announced as they stepped back into Mitchie's house. He winked at her, causing Mitchie to blush. "Hmm, your kisses are still delicious, babe." He commented, capturing her lips once more. Mitchie pulled away and giggled.

"Okay, okay, I think you had enough for one day. I need to go to the bathroom." She excused herself, walking up the stairs. Shane nodded and decided to explore Mitchie's house. It definitely wasn't just a house. A house would be an understatement. Mitchie's house was like a modest mansion. Shane wasn't surprised though. Mitchie still had an innumerable amount of money from being a phenomenal singer. (He wonders why she even works.)

Shane walked down a hallway he never noticed before. He found a door framed with a gold lining. Shane could feel a connection behind the door, as if he's meant to be in there. He touched the bronze doorknob, wondering if he should enter or not. This room looked pretty important and exclusive, and Mitchie probably wouldn't appreciate him just barging inside.

Shane smirked and opened it without a doubt. Pfft, he was Shane Gray. He could do whatever he wanted to.

His eyes widened as he stepped into the room. Every inch was covered with musical instruments of every kind from left to right. The floor was flooded with sand colored music sheets, lyrics and notes scribbled onto them. There was a small recording studio in the corner, the glass windows untouched along with the microphones and the mixers.

Shane sat down on the piano stool and ran his fingers gently across the keys. He could feel Mitchie's despair as his fingers made contact with the instrument. He swore he could almost hear the sad melody she played last time she was in here. He pressed his fingers down slowly, playing a quiet note. Shane felt tingles shoot up inside of him, guilt washing over. He couldn't understand why he was feeling depressed. It was a piano for God's sake. But Shane knew that music was Mitchie's way of letting emotions out. And last time he recalled, Mitchie mentioned that her life has been a living hell for the passed three years.

Shane frowned and turned to the side. The acoustic guitar that was close to falling down off of the wall caught Shane's eye. He picked it up and began to lightly strum. His playing was cut off once he heard Mitchie's voice ringing throughout the house. "Shane? Where are you?" she called out. Shane managed to smile.

"In here!" he replied and went back to strumming.

Mitchie appeared at the front door, her face half shock and half confused. "What are you doing in my music room?" she asked. Mitchie sat next to the empty space next to Shane on the piano stool.

"I was bored, and you take forever going pee." Shane teased, earning himself a smack in the arm. "If you keep on hitting me, I might as well wear pillows underneath my shirt." He said, rubbing his arm. Mitchie laughed and wrapped her arms around Shane's neck, kissing his cheek lightly.

"But really, what the heck are you doing in my music room?" she asked. Shane shrugged, his fingers still strumming the acoustic guitar.

"I don't know. Something in this room drew me in," Shane said. "When I found out that it was a music room, well I just had to play something. I'm Shane Gray anyways. Music is in my blood." Mitchie smiled and traced her fingers along Shane's broad shoulders.

"Play me a song." She whispered into his ear. Shane smiled at her.

"Only if you sing along," Mitchie's face flushed. She hasn't sung in what seemed like centuries. She didn't even think that she sang that beautifully as she did before. Mitchie could remember her voice sounding strong, powerful, yet soothing and relaxing—or at least that's what Shane told her. After three years of no practice whatsoever, Mitchie thought that her voice was going to crack once she hit a high note or any note.

"Oh, I don't think so." Mitchie declined, shaking her head. Shane pouted, setting the guitar aside.

"Why not? You have an amazing voice and I miss it _so_ much. Let me hear it again." Shane pleaded. Mitchie continued to shake her head no. "C'mon, Mitchie, I'll be singing along with you."

"Um," Mitchie pretended to think about it, "no," she ended, giving Shane a look. Shane grabbed the guitar and began to play a tune that Mitchie could name anywhere. She could feel her heartstrings getting pulled, no _tugged_, as Shane played the song that was held in a special place in her beating heart.

"I try to call again; I get your mailbox like a letter left unread…" he started, giving Mitchie a hopeful look. Mitchie couldn't resist it. She opened her mouth and for the first time in nearly _forever_, she began to sing.

"Apologies are often open ended…"

"But this was better left unsaid." Their voices were like two of the most unique sounds in the world colliding, creating a flawless sound, a sound so rich and stunning that neither of them wanted to stop singing. But the need of oxygen told them otherwise and the two took a deep breath, silence finally entering the room.

That was their first official duet. Well, trio since Nate was also in the song, but Mitchie and Shane sang most of it. All of their 'Smitchie' fans adored this song and kept it close to their hearts. Once the world heard this song, everyone loved the two couple even more—if that was even possible. And nobody could ever stop singing the lyrics, humming the tune, listening to the song itself on the internet or radio for a long, _long _time.

"Your voice is still beautiful." Shane whispered, kissing her lips. Mitchie's face blushed a deeper shade of red than it already was. "I love it." Shane whispered, kissing her jaw line.

"You're just saying that. My voice is worn-out." Mitchie mumbled.

"Please, I think I would know if your voice is worn-out or not." Shane smiled, pressing his lips on hers one more time. Mitchie cupped his cheek with her right hand, kissing him back deeply.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Mitchie reluctantly pulled away and stared at her door. Shane groaned and threw his head back. The doorbell rang again, and Mitchie could practically feel the person's impatience. "I think I should get that—" Mitchie stood up, but Shane pulled her back down onto his lap.

"No, maybe it's not that important." He tried to dissuade her.

"Come on, Shane, this will take like five minutes." Mitchie pecked his lips before hopping off of his lap, walking back into the living room to answer the door. Shane unwillingly followed behind her, cursing at the person who dared to interrupt his make out session with Mitchie.

Mitchie opened the door, her eyes wide with shock. "Tracy? What're you doing here?" she asked. Her sister was about to open her mouth and explain until her eyes caught sight of Shane. She felt her body stiffen as she stared at the man who caused her sister into hysterics not too long ago. She frowned at him, her arms folded.

"I told you to help her, not sell yourselves out for publicity." Tracy hissed at him. Shane raised his eyebrows at her, confused. He glanced at Mitchie whom was equally puzzled as he was.

"What are you talking about?" Shane asked. Tracy rolled her eyes and sighed.

"Apparently Smitchie is back together and the whole damn world knows about it." She stated with a fake smile on her lips.


End file.
